AS Leave campaigners celebrate a narrow win in last Thursday’s European Union (EU) referendum, it seems political turmoil and uncertainty are the prevailing themes throughout the UK.

And the local reaction is just as colourful, with Remain campaigners expressing disappointment and fear and Leave campaigners hailing it a great milestone for the country.

The national result was close as 51.9 per cent – or 17,410,742 – voted to Leave and 48.1 percent – 16,141,241 – voted to Remain.

But East Hampshire residents turned out in huge numbers to buck the national trend voting to Remain, albeit narrowly.

Some 73,971 people voted, a turnout of 81.7 per cent, with the district casting 37,346 votes to Remain and 36,576 votes to Leave.

Above all, with polls predicting a close victory for Remain, the result seems to have caused surprise. And, with the official procedure for withdrawing from the EU (Article 50) still not under way, the country is left in an unusual state of limbo.

East Hampshire MP Damian Hinds campaigned for the UK to remain a member of the EU and said the country is now at the start of a new era.

“Obviously I am very disappointed by the outcome of the EU referendum and the subsequent announcement by the Prime Minister of his intention to stand down in the autumn,” he said.

“David Cameron has been an outstanding Prime Minister for the last six years, and leader of the Conservative party for 10. History will reflect on the achievements of his time in office, not least the formation of the Coalition, bringing our economy back from the brink, and the majority at the 2015 General Election, against the odds and the pundits’ predictions.”

He continued: “East Hampshire saw strong campaigning by volunteers from across the political spectrum and some really good debates, including The Herald debate at Alton Assembly Rooms. It was great to see such a large turnout in the poll locally.

“In East Hampshire, the result was narrowly in favour of Remain but this and other Remain results were not enough to outweigh what was happening elsewhere, not only in shire counties but in traditional Labour heartlands in the Midlands and the North.

“This was as full a participative democratic process as you could get. Economists, businesses and others had set out their analysis. The debate engaged all sections of society. The turnout was high. The people have spoken and it is now up to everyone in politics and public life to move forward with positivity and purpose. Our country is in a new era and on a new path. We must focus all energies on getting the best possible outcome for Britain.”

It seems the result will reshape British politics, irrespective of exactly what happens next, with leadership elections looming for both the Labour and Conservative parties.

Despite the economic and political chaos triggered by the result, UKIP member Peter Baillie, who was also part of the Alton debate, said he was “proud to have played a part in the successful campaign for Britain to leave the European Union”.

He commended the “courage” of the British public for choosing to “return independence and sovereignty to this great country of ours”.

For many Remain campaigners the fight is not over. A petition for a second referendum has collected more than four million signatures and calls are mounting for MPs to reject the result and vote against invoking Article 50.

But Mr Baillie said resisting the will of the majority would be wrong. He said: “Our membership of the EU has, for the duration of that relationship, been one of the most persistent and hotly debated constitutional issues at the heart of British politics. Now it has been settled once and for all.

“Those who rail against the result of the referendum are railing against democracy itself. They will be rightly ignored just as they once sought to ignore the deep desire of ordinary men and women to have their voices heard and their concerns addressed.”

However, the economic uncertainty of the situation has concerned some local business owners. One such person is Andy Tree, managing director of accountancy firm Top Branch Partners.

“There are some very uncertain times ahead,” he said. “The pound has fallen to its lowest level since 1985. Very bad news for any UK small business, and its owners. We can only hope at this stage that markets stabilise and the pound rises.”

He added that the UK must now work hard in the coming months and years to ensure small businesses, “the backbone of our economy”, can thrive.

“I just feel it’s a shame we didn’t stick with the EU for longer as there was always an option to come out in the future but no realistic way of getting back in on the terms we had,” he added.

Sandy Hopkins, EHDC’s chief executive and counting officer, said: “The EU referendum was perhaps the key political decision of our lifetime.

“I am delighted East Hampshire’s electorate has taken this opportunity to have its say and turned out in such huge numbers to cast their vote.

“A turnout of 81.7 per cent shows just what a historic moment this has been and how seriously it has been taken by the voters of East Hampshire.”