Britain has shocked the world by voting to leave the European Union.
Now the only Salford MP to back the Leave campaign, Blackley and Broughton MP Graham Stringer, says Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn should call a general election.
At 9pm last night Vote Leave campaigners were staring defeat in the face.
But everything changed as results started to filter through, in Swindon, Sunderland, and metropolitan towns across the country.
Mr Stringer tells SalfordOnline.com this morning that he’s pleased Prime Minister David Cameron has resigned, and his crony Chancellor George Osborne will surely soon follow.
Read: Historic day as Salford and Britain Vote Leave
“I hope Jeremy Corbyn calls an immediate general election,” he said.
The result should send shockwaves through the Labour party, which badly miscalculated the weight of public opinion, says the Blackley and Broughton MP.
But now is not the time to be thinking about a new Labour leader, said Stringer.
“Now would be a very foolish time for members in the Shadow Cabinet to carry out a coup.”
EU In or Out? Graham Stringer MP says EU reform ‘fantasy’ and UK should Vote Leave
“Jeremy Corbyn never really believed we should be a part of the EU, he was forced into the position by trade union leaders.
“If those members are considering it they should carry out a coup against themselves for their poor judgement on the referendum.”
With Salford voting by an overwhelming 57-43 majority to leave, how did the politicians get it so wrong?
“I’m absolutely delighted by the result, I didn’t expect it,” said Stringer, who helped lead Vote Leave’s campaign in the North West.
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“We’ve been campaigning very hard throughtout Salford, Manchester, the North West and across the country and I’m pleased that for the first time in 41 years the country will be able to be a self-governing, democratic nation in control of our own laws and borders.
“The people of Salford and nationwide have shown extremely good sense by not being frightened by all the scaremongering from the Remain campaign.”
As the news started to break that large swathes of the country were more strongly in support of Brexit than pundits expected, the value of the pound dropped through the floor.
Sterling plunged by 10 per cent on Thursday night, something the Washington Post described as
“a stunning decline for a rich country’s currency in a single day”.
But the markets will re-balance quickly, said Stringer.
And it’s what will happen to the euro that is more worrying.
So what does Britain look like economically this morning?
“It looks exactly the same as it did last night. It will take so time to work through, we still want to be friendly with the other 27 countries still in the EU.
“Now though, we are going to be able to determine our own laws and if we don’t like what politicians do we can kick them out.”
“The fundamentals of the UK economy are the same now as they were 24 hours ago.
“The markets bet heavily on the Remain vote so it may take days or weeks, but they will correct their poor judgement and the pound will find its natural level.
“When I’ve debated with economists across Greater Manchester they were more worried about the value of the euro and the problems that may come with the UK not supporting the other members of the EU financially.”
What future for Labour?
“I’m pleased Salford voted out and I’m pretty certain the whole of my consituency had a majority vote for Leave.
“I think there are real lessons to be learned by Labour on reconnecting with its core supporters.
“The party is out of touch with many people in Salford and further afield who have only had the disbenefits of globalisation.
“The benefits have gone to the fat cats in the City and not to the people who struggle to find jobs, or communities dealing with waves of people coming in to Salford from poorer countries in the EU.”
Watch: Three Europeans working in Salford say ‘UK needs EU’
“Talking to people on the way to the polls last night they expressed huge anger at the party.
“I don’t blame them: supporting David Cameron and George Osborne, who have wreaked havoc on this country is an extraordinary position for Labour to take.
“I’m glad Cameron is standing down but it should be now, not in three months time.”
What happens now the UK has voted for Brexit?
This is the first time any state has left the European Union.
How Britain exits is governed by a piece of legislation called Article 50: formal notification of the intention to withdraw.
There is huge pressure for David Cameron to do this now, to stop months of uncertainty.
As the Prime Minister resigned at 8am today, he may leave his successor as Tory leader to enact Article 50.
This starts a two-year countdown.
After that, Britain will no longer have to conform to the treaties that govern EU membership.
Negotiating teams will debate what exactly the terms of the UK’s exit will be with the other 27 countries still in the EU. Each country will have a veto over the conditions.
A new Conservative leader is expected to be announced at the party’s annual conference in October.
