London ; Voting started today in a historic referendum on whether Britain should remain within the 28-nation European Union or leave.

Voting which began at 7 AM will continue till 10 PM British time. An estimated 4.6 crore people are entitled to take part in the vote, a record number for a UK election.

It is only the third nationwide referendum in UK history and comes after a four month battle for votes between the Leave and Remain campaigns.

The four month campaign was reached a climax with last minute appeals to undecided voters from both sides.

Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday appeared alongside former Conservative Prime Minister Sir John Major and former Labour PM Gordon Brown, former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman and Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, at events in Bristol and Birmingham.
He has been pushing the message that today’s decision will be irreversible and there will no coming back if the UK votes to leave.