In a historic development, the United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union after 43 years as the 'Brexit' camp on Friday took a seemingly unassailable lead over the 'Remain' camp in a down-to-wire referendum with far reaching implications for the world.

Fifty-two per cent of the Britons in Thursday’s vote favoured leaving the 28-member EU, while 48 per cent supported staying in the bloc, according to a BBC forecast after counting of 70 per cent of votes.

And this is how Britain’s national newspapers reacted:

• Also see: Shock and awe: Britain reacts to Brexit