For anyone weary of the Brexit referendum – and it is hard to find someone who is not – going to bed by midnight Thursday should ensure they get a good night's sleep before waking up to the result early on Friday morning.
Then again, there will be many – vote counters, returning officers, journalists, bankers, hedge fund managers, currency traders, to name just a few – for whom the night will only be starting.
When the polls close at 10pm on Thursday night, the ballot boxes will be transferred to 382 counting venues across the UK. With an electorate of 46,499,537, it has been projected that the turnout could be up to 80 per cent. In context, that would be 14 per cent more than turned out at the last general election.
Results should trickle in through the night.
After midnight
The Isles of Scilly, off the southwest coast, are expected to be the first to return along with Gibraltar. Sunderland is expected afterwards and then Wandsworth in London and the City of London, both of which are likely to have strong Remain votes. The City, unsurprisingly considering the economic risks of a Leave vote, is considered one of the most pro-Remain area in the country.
2am
A wave of results is expected to come in at about this time, with between 20 and 40 results likely to have returned. Some strong pro-Leave areas, including Basildon in Essex and Hartlepool in the northeast, will likely return, as will parts of Wales.
3am
One-third of the expected results are expected to have been returned by this stage. Among them will be the strongly pro-Leave area of Thanet, where Ukip leader
Nigel Farage
failed to win a seat last year. Large parts of Scotland are expected to start reporting including Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Two of the biggest areas – Northern Ireland and Birmingham – are also due to come in at about 3.30am.
5am
The bulk of results will now be in. Big cities such as Glasgow, Manchester and Liverpool will have reported.
6am
Leeds and Bristol are both expected around now, as are predictions as to how the final vote has gone, unless it is very close.
7am
As many people are getting up, others will be ready to drop. The final returns will now be coming including Arun on the south coast, Waveney on the east coast and Harborough in the East Midlands. Because of their low populations, it is unlikely that they will be key, unless it is extremely close. Once the final results are in, it will be up to
Jenny Watson
, the chair of the
Electoral Commission
and the chief counting officer, to announce the final result.