UK officially leaves EU

The UK has officially left the European Union after 47 years of membership.

The historic moment, which happened at 23:00 GMT, was marked by both celebrations and anti-Brexit protests.

Candlelit vigils were held in Scotland, which voted to stay in the EU, while Brexiteers partied in London's Parliament Square.

In a message released on social media an hour before the UK's departure, prime minister Boris Johnson said: "For many people this is an astonishing moment of hope, a moment they thought would never come.And there are many of course who feel a sense of anxiety and loss. And then of course there is a third group - perhaps the biggest - who had started to worry that the whole political wrangle would never come to an end. I understand all those feelings and our job as the government - my job - is to bring this country together now and take us forward."

"The most important thing to say tonight is that this is not an end but a beginning and a moment of real national renewal and change, he added.