INVERCLYDE yesterday voted to stay in the European Union — but will be LEAVING after the UK as a whole opted for Brexit.

It was a result which has triggered global shockwaves and this morning Prime Minister David Cameron announced that he will resign in October.

The national result saw the leave campaign poll 51.9 per cent against 48.1 per cent for remain.

Inverclyde — in common with the rest of Scotland — voted to stay but now joins the rest of the nation in facing up to a new and uncertain future.

The local result saw a turnout of 66 per cent, with 24,688 people backing remain against 14,010 who wanted to quit.

The result was announced just after 2am.

The national verdict has stunned Europe, exposed deep divisions across the UK and seems set to trigger a constitutional crisis.

There are calls this morning for a second Scottish independence referendum while Sinn Fein has called for a poll to be held on a united Ireland.

The result has also caused major instability in the world of finance, after the pound tumbled to lows not seen since the 1980s.

Local campaigners this morning gave their reaction to the national result.

Dave O’Donnell, who led the Vote Leave Inverclyde campaign, said: “I’m, very, very pleased.

“I’ve been up all night and I couldn’t be happier.

“I think there is a clear margin that the people of the UK voted to leave the EU and this should now be done in an orderly and respectable manner.”

He added: “Approximately one third of Inverclyde voted to leave, so I’m very pleased with that.”

Former MP Iain McKenzie, from the local Vote Remain campaign, said he was ‘bitterly disappointed’ as he warned of troubled times ahead.

He pointed to fears over immigration as a crucial factor in the overall result.

Mr McKenzie told the Tele: “I think there are severe implications and I’ve always said that.

“But we never as a campaign put to bed the fear of the immigration question, and that resonated with a lot of people in a lot of areas.

“I’m pretty sure that if you ask people the reasons for voting leave then that would be it.

“Difficult times lie ahead.”