Barack Obama weighs in on Brexit vote amid global panic: 'UK and US will remain indispensable partners'

Obama had previously said the UK will be 'at the back of queue' of trade talks

AP

President Barack Obama issued a statement in response to the success of the Brexit vote, in which the people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union.

“The people of the United Kingdom have spoken, and we respect their decision,” he said Friday morning.

“The special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom is enduring, and the United Kingdom’s membership in Nato remains a vital cornerstone of US foreign, security, and economic policy

“So too is our relationship with the European Union, which has done so much to promote stability, stimulate economic growth, and foster the spread of democratic values and ideals across the continent and beyond.

He continued: “The United Kingdom and the European Union will remain indispensable partners of the United States even as they begin negotiating their ongoing relationship to ensure continued stability, security, and prosperity for Europe, Great Britain, and Northern Ireland, and the world.

Mr Obama had previously spoken out against the UK leaving the European Union, asserting that the move could hurt future trade deals with the US.

“I think it’s fair to say that maybe some point down the line there might be a US-UK trade agreement, but it’s not going to happen any time soon because our focus is in negotiating with a big bloc, the European Union, to get a trade agreement done,” he said at a joint conference with David Cameron in April. “The UK is going to be in the back of the queue.”

The presumptive presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, responded to the Brexit results Friday morning.

Mr Trump - who made a trip to Scotland to mark the opening of a golf course he owns - lauded the British people for taking "back their country".

“They’re angry over borders, they’re angry over people coming into the country and taking over, nobody even knows who they are,” said Mr Trump. “They’re angry about many, many things.”

The 70-year-old presumptive GOP nominee and real estate mogul said that the EU vote, in some ways, mirrors what is happening in the US - as evidenced by his success in the Republican primaries.

“It’s happening in many other places. They are taking their countries back. I thought it would happen,” he said. “You let in the people you want to, you don’t let in those you don’t want.”

“So I think you’re going to have this happen more and more. I really believe that and I think that it’s happening in the United States. It’s happening by the fact that I’ve done so well in the polls.”

Mr Trump's remarks invoke the nationalist populism espoused by Boris Johnson, former London mayor and primary figure who pushed for UK to leave the EU. He has been criticised for inflaming public anxieties about immigration in Great Britain.

For her part, Ms Clinton placed her focus on the economic impact of the Brexit - which has resulted in the plummeting of the UK pound by 10 per cent, as well as a more than 300 point drop in the Dow Jones at the time of writing.

"Our first task has to be to make sure that the economic uncertainty created by these events does not hurt working families here in America," the former Secretary of State said in a statement. "We also have to make clear America's steadfast commitment to the special relationship with Britain and the transatlantic alliance with Europe."

She added: "This time of uncertainty only underscores the need for calm, steady, experienced leadership in the White House to protect Americans' pocketbooks and livelihoods, to support our friends and allies, to stand up to our adversaries, and to defend our interests. It also underscores the need for us to pull together to solve our challenges as a country, not tear each other down."

Treasury Sec Jack Lew issued a statement assuring that the department is working with the UK and EU to "ensure continued economic stability, security, and prosperity in Europe and beyond".

The Friday morning vote sent British politics into turmoil after some 17.4 million people voted to leave the EU. Although voter turnout was high at 72 per cent, only 16.1 million voted to stay.

Prime Minister Cameron announced his resignation in the wake of the vote results.

“I think the country requires fresh leadership,” he said in an emotional statement outside of 10 Downing Street alongside his wife Samantha. “I do not think I can be the captain to take the country to its next destination.”

“I will do everything I can in the future to help this great country succeed.”