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The British people have decided to leave. It is a sad decision but one which I respect. The vote puts the European Union in difficulties. It must recognise its shortfalls.

It would be a very serious mistake for the U.K. to vote to leave the European Union, and I think it would be democratically indefensible for Scotland, if we had voted to stay in, to face the prospect of being taken out.

A U.K. vote to exit the European Union could have significant economic repercussions.

I hope Britain stays in the European Union, but I don't want to decide for the British.

I was very much surprised by the Johnson/Gove proposals to make it harder for Europeans to work in the U.K. if Britain were to vote to leave the E.U.

The UK is not going to leave the European Union. Of course not. We are inextricably wound up with Europe. In terms of culture, history and geography, we are a European nation.

People feel that the EU is a one-way process, a great machine that sucks up decision-making from national parliaments to the European level until everything is decided by the EU. That needs to change.

Let me be absolutely clear: I think it is defeatist to sort of say we want to leave the European Union. We're going to try and change the rules and change the way it works and change the objectives that it has in order to make it something that works for Britain.

There are great things that Britain can do in the future as a progressive beacon. By voting Leave, we have that opportunity.

British chancellor is telling the rest of Europe it must abandon democracy. It's appalling.