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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

UK Votes to Leave European Union. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired June 24, 2016 - 05:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[05:00:18] RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Five o'clock in the morning on the East Coast, 2:00 in the morning on the West, and it is 10:00 in London. The morning is well and truly under way on a day that's basically seen a revolution in British politics and European affairs.

HANNAH VAUGHAN JONES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes, and we didn't get rid of him.

You tried to leave. But we decided you were far too important to the story.

QUEST: No, I wouldn't go. They tried --

JONES: Still here for another hour of our special coverage. We're, of course, covering the U.K.'s EU referendum results. The EU has voted to leave the European Union.

And in the aftermath of that, the British Prime Minister David Cameron has said he'll resign in around three months from now. That will take us up to October, the time of the British political party conference season. So that's the time when David Cameron will go. Now, we await to see who will step in to lead Britain in this new route.

QUEST: So, the people of the U.K. voted to leave. And a couple of hours ago, David Cameron saying, announced he would resign as a prime minister.

Obviously, President Obama in the United States has been kept informed overnight. The president is on the west coast in San Francisco doing some events concerning entrepreneurship. It's expected that Mr. Obama will speak to David Cameron some time in the next 24 hours. Obviously, to determine how the relationship between the so-called special relationship goes on, even though nothing changes immediately.

As for the prime minister, he has just seen his political life implode. He said it wouldn't be right for him to steer Britain to its next destination.

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DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The country has just taken part in a giant democratic exercise, perhaps the biggest in our history. Over 33 million people from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar have all had their say. We should be proud of the fact that in these islands, we trust the people with big decisions.

We not only have a parliamentary democracy, but on questions about the arrangements for how we're governed, there are times when it is right to ask the people themselves, and that is what we have done. The British people have voted to leave the European Union and their will must be respected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: Well, there you have it. The outgoing British Prime Minister David Cameron speaking in the last couple of hours. The vote to leave the European Union is a major victory for the former London mayor, Boris Johnson. It's what the former mayor and, of course, the man who campaigned so fervently for us to leave the EU has always wanted.

But listen to the reception he got as he left his London home just a short time ago.

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(BOOING)

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JONES: Boris Johnson booed there as he left his home. Perhaps not all that surprising given the fact London did vote in the EU as opposed to the rest of the country.

Christiane Amanpour is now joined by Boris Johnson's father -- Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Hannah, I am joined by Stanley Johnson, who is Boris Johnson's father and who has been watching that video of his son coming out of his home and being booed. You might also notice that Stanley Johnson is distinguished by the remain t-shirt he's wearing. So he was on the completely opposite side of his son.

So, I mean, I have to ask you, what do you make of all of this?

STANLEY JOHNSON, FATHER OF BORIS JOHNSON: The reason I'm wearing this t-shirt still is I was up all night, I didn't have time to take it off.

AMANPOUR: No, but you're still a remainder.

JOHNSON: Of course. I don't normally wear the same t-shirt all the time. I'm a remainder. And I was a remainder.

I mean, I believe there were really important issues in the referendum which needed to be advanced. The environment was one. I argued. All the people who supported environment, say it made sense to do some things at the European level. Air pollution, water pollution, solid waste, nature protection.

Look at this, remain for nature. OK. What has happened? The great British public has voted. It's been a wonderful exercise in democracy. I accept that.

AMANPOUR: Would you say your son has been the architect of this?

JOHNSON: I would. I absolutely would. And I don't put this in an opportunistic way.

[05:05:00] Honestly, I think and I say this really objectively, he put real important issues on the table. He put the sovereignty issue, he put the migration issue, he put the economic issue and above all, he put what you might call the direction of travel issue on the table for voters.

AMANPOUR: As he was traveling out of his home he got booed. How did that make you feel?

JOHNSON: OK. Bear in mind that in London and bear in mind he comes from Islington. Bear in mind that Islington voted overwhelming for remain last night. So, I'm not surprised at a few boos in Islington.

But take that map of the country. I want to tell you, he won, the Brexit won. Let me get this right, 17,410,000 votes. That is huge. Absolutely huge.

AMANPOUR: It is huge. It's practically half the country with a few more percentage points. You can see how he is divisive because he lives in London which voted to remain in. How the country is divided.

Your family is divided, probably not emotionally but definitely politically. All of you were for remain. Your daughter, your two or three sons, or two sons and yourself, and Boris was on the other side. How do you reunite your family and that a microcosm of the country?

JOHNSON: I love that word. I've never had a microcosm put to me like that. It means a small world. I'm a Greek scholar.

How do we do it? By saying, where are we now. We are the morning after the vote. And what is it? It's a great achievement.

So we look forward. We are where we are. What are the real priorities? The priorities are, A, to make sure that the arrangements we now put in place to disentangle ourselves from Europe are good for us and good for Europe. What's good for Europe is also good for us. That's the first thing.

And the second thing is looking ahead -- look at my field, environment. Gosh, some of the real issues which are facing the world, overpopulation, the loss of biodiversity, climate change. These have to be done on an international basis. It's going to be funded through the E.U. We must find ways of working with the E.U. and internationally.

AMANPOUR: You mentioned three big issues your son Boris put on the table. Sovereignty.

But you yourself has just said that a certain amount of full sovereignty is vital to get the big issues down. And as you know, better than I do, all Britons important laws are made in that building behind me, taxation, defense, all of those big issues, finances, schools, all of that are made here. So is the sovereignty issue sort of a cover for something else? People clearly were upset.

JOHNSON: OK.

AMANPOUR: And Boris kept saying take back control, take back control. Of what exactly?

JOHNSON: Of course we slightly differ, because for my money, a certain diminution or dilution of sovereignty is a price worth paying if you get an effective international solution. Others say, too, we went too far with the single European act, with the union court of justice having the final say. I don't necessarily subscribe to that view because I spent so many years in Brussels. But it's a point of view.

The main this, this is a point of view which is now upheld by the British people. It behooves us, what Mr. Cameron said a moment ago. He said the will of the British people must be respected. That's important.

AMANPOUR: That's absolutely correct. Also, Prime Minister Cameron announced he'll resign. He will no longer prime minister.

Many think that your son Boris Johnson is in good standing to potentially be the next prime minister. Does he have the temperament to be the prime minister of a multi-diverse Britain when, by all accounts, he played the immigration issue, talking about the Turks were coming and the invasion? None of that's was true.

JOHNSON: Totally disagree with you.

AMANPOUR: No, but he did. Are you comfortable with that?

JOHNSON: No, I tell you something. On the migration issue, I think that was a vital issue, and it was a tragedy that Mrs. Merkel and other colleagues in the European Union didn't give -- didn't try to find a European solution.

AMANPOUR: You're absolutely right that there's no -- Europe failed to find a European --

JOHNSON: No, it didn't.

AMANPOUR: But what I'm asking you, sir, is do you believe that it's the right way to campaign to raise myths and white elephants like Turks coming?

JOHNSON: Look, I know a lot about the Turks.

(CROSSTALK) AMANPOUR: They're pretty crushed with Boris, your Turkish relatives.

JOHNSON: I read the article. Yeah, I read the article. Had dinner the other night in Brussels around my Turkish cousins.

In reality, in reality, let's face it. Key has been in the process of joining the E.U.

AMANPOUR: But it's nowhere near it.

JOHNSON: It may well be nowhere near it. There's no question that we are as a country politically committed.

AMANPOUR: Yes, most people think it would be a good idea if Turkey met the fundament requirements.

[05:10:01] But my question to you really honestly, how does one get past this moment, where the country is so divided, almost half on immigration and foreigners.

JOHNSON: I don't believe the country is divided on immigration.

AMANPOUR: No, that's been used as the main issue in this campaign.

JOHNSON: No, I think honestly. I do speak to them as I have a French grandmother, I have a Swiss grandfather, I have a Turkish grandfather, a little bit of English there, but I don't think it was cynical. This is a vitally important issue. We're talking honestly, if I may say so, we've had an increase in the Britons population of 4 million people over the last ten years.

Now, come on. That is really, really, I mean, if I -- if this was France, France -- if France had the same demographic density, you'd have 100 million more people in France. It's very important issue and particularly important as we saw in the vote.

AMANPOUR: I have to go, but do you think your son will be the next prime minister?

JOHNSON: Look, this is what I think. I think he has earned his place on the short list. The way it works in the conservative party is we have a short list of two and those two have to be mps. They can only be chosen by the current MPs. I think he's earned his place as one of the two on the short list. Then it will go to conservatives in the country and that's about 100,000 people.

AMANPOUR: Stanley Johnson, thank you so much.

JOHNSON: Real pleasure to be pack.

AMANPOUR: Thank you.

And back to you, Hannah and Richard.

JONES: Christiane, thanks very much indeed. Well, you are hearing there from Boris Johnson's father, Stanley Johnson. He was on the other side of the campaign from his son but nevertheless defending his son in the aftermath of that vote.

And also Donald Trump. He's been weighing in on this referendum result as well. Why? He's in the U.K. as it happen at the moment. He's in Scotland.

He has said, this is the Republican presumptive nominee for president, has said and I quote the referendum results a great thing that the British people have taken back control of their country. These are the pictures of Mr. Trump as he arrived in Scotland not that long ago this morning. He's visiting one of his revamped golf courses.

Scotland, of course, has voted overwhelmingly in favor of the U.K. remaining in the E.U. The comments from Donald Trump may not go down too well with the Scots around him. However, of course, the Scottish vote wasn't enough to sway the overall U.K.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESUMPTIVE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: I think it's a great thing that's happened. It's an amazing vote. It's very historic. I'm very happy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: A great thing is the word I heard him say. And he'll also have a certain pleasure maybe to David Cameron's political demise.

Max Foster is in Downing Street.

We were all surprised. Cameron had basically said as late as that debate last week, that question time debate, that he was not going. So, what do you think changed his mind?

MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: I think it was the fact that, simply that he lost. If it was close to losing, he may have gone as well. But he was hoping for a much better result. So, a resounding victory for the remain campaign. That didn't come through.

He's fallen on the sword. We're waiting to hear from George Osborne, his number two. We desperately want to hear from Boris Johnson as well because he is now the front-runner to take over from David Cameron. We haven't heard from him yet. We've just seen him being booed outside his house.

But we can assume he had a popular message. Is he a popular man, though? Can he be a popular prime minister? It's a different role being prime minister from mayor of London, of course.

Also we're hearing from various sides that there's no need to panic here because this two-year process that needs to be sparked for Britain to leave the European Union hasn't started yet. We need to be ready before we go into that process. At the same time, voices in Europe desperately trying to extricate Britain as quickly as possible. This calls for the British commissioner to have his power stripped

straightaway because within Europe, a real sense that Britain is setting an example and they want to quash any ideas of other countries within Europe or right wing groups from following the same sort of track.

So, Britain really shaking things up here but within London, complete instability, worry, what's going to happen next. Boris needs to speak.

JONES: Max, thanks very much indeed.

Max Foster live there on Downing Street in Central London.

QUEST: The governor of the Bank of England has been trying to calm the financial markets after the decision was announced. He said the bank and the Britain's banking system are well prepared and he won't hesitate to take further measurements during this period of uncertainty n instability.

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MARK CARNEY, GOVERNOR, BANK OF ENGLAND: It will take some time for the European Union to establish new relationships with Europe and the rest of the world.

[05:15:00] So, some market and economic volatility can be expected as this process unfolds. But we are well prepared for this.

Her majesty's treasury in the Bank of England have engaged in extensive contingency planning and the chancellor and I have remained in close contact including through the night and this morning.

To be clear, the Bank of England will not hesitate to take additional measures as required as markets adjust and as the U.K. economy moves forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: The former European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet joins me now from our Paris bureau.

Mr. Trichet, so you and I have talked before about this. But now, the worst scenario has arrived. The U.K. is leaving. How worried are you for the rest of Europe and the Eurozone?

JEAN-CLAUDE TRICHET, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK: Well, first of all, I'm worrying a lot for the U.K. itself and, of course, it's an earthquake. The prime minister will leave. The new government will be in place.

Perhaps, Scotland will ask for leaving and so forth and so forth. So, it's a major problem. As regards continental Europe, of course, we will be hit. That's absolutely clear, both economically, much less than the U.K., but there is a hit. And also politically, because I would say extreme right and extreme

left will fully take advantage of that referendum to call for referenda. But in my opinion, the U.K. is in a totally different universe in comparison with Continental Europe and I don't expect that the European Union with the 27 will be badly hit, obviously.

QUEST: How much of all of this has the EU or the European commission brought upon itself? Today, leaders left and right are coming out of the woodwork from every country to say there needs to be reform. The EU needs to change.

And, Mr. Trichet, where were they saying this four months ago?

TRICHET: Well, first of all, I will give you a scoop. When you look at the last survey, which is for the euro barometer, what you see is the frustration of our people everywhere in the advance economy and Europe is against the national institutions and the national leaders, more than against the European institution and the European leaders. So, we have a scapegoating exercise there which I regret very much.

But what is the real problem in the U.K. as well as in the U.S. and in continental Europe is that our people, our fellow citizens are frustrated. And they are mainly frustrated against their own government and their own national institutions. We have to deal with that. But I fully agree with the fact that Europe has, of course, to adapt permanently, to improve permanently, I made myself proposing for that.

QUEST: OK. How --

TRICHET: We should not forget the real problem.

QUEST: How tough should Europe be in terms of the negotiation, the exit negotiation with the U.K., specifically about access to the single market and, say, passporting for financial services?

TRICHET: I think that the U.K. says very, very clearly we will defend our interest in the best fashion possible, defending one's interest. I expect, of course, the Continental Europeans, 27, including Ireland to stay the same. We will defend our interest in the best way fashion possible. Affect does not exist in the U.K. for Europe and affect should not exist in the 27 for the U.K., it's matter of good, fair, of course, but tough negotiation. It is unavoidable because it's the rule of the game.

QUEST: Mr. Trichet, good to see you, sir. I know this is not the result you wanted to see, but we live with the result we've got. The British people have spoken. Thank you, sir.

JONES: And the latest we're hearing as we get more reaction from around the world as well is that in Russia, the Kremlin spokesman in Russia says he hopes Britain will understand the need for better relations with Russia now that they'll be dealing with a Britain outside of the European Union.

We are going to take a quick break now and come back with all the reaction from the markets as well. You can see the way things stand at the moment. The pound took a real hammering at the start. It's climbed back a little bit. You can see the markets affected across the globe in the aftermath of that decision, that referendum result.

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[05:22:19] AMANPOUR: Here I am outside parliament where elected leaders, journalists, everyone around is trying to digest the unprecedented result we've seen overnight in the EU referendum it's the first time a country has voluntarily left the E.U.

So, let's talk to the leader of Britain's Liberal Democrat Party, Tim Farron, who is joining me.

OK. It's unprecedented. It's historic. Give me your reaction.

TIM FARRON, LEADER, BRITISH LIBERAL-DEMOCRAT PARTY: I'm genuinely heartbroken. I mean, you stand for an election and lose. You can have another go in four or five years. This feels like the country has decided to do something momentous and it says something to the outside world. I mean, it's a very, very close result. Sixteen million voted to remain. Seventeen voted to leave.

The promises on which the leave campaign stood are already unraveling. They said when we said there would be a recession or there would be economic consequences, they pooh-poohed it. We now see the United Kingdom has already relegated from fifth to sixth biggest economy in the world. We've seen 250 billion wiped off British shares. You've seen the pound plummeting in value just in a few hours.

So, we were attacked for calling it project fear. It seems like project massive understatement.

AMANPOUR: Well, let me ask you about this, because, you know, Michael Gove, one of the intellectual leaders of this project, he at one point said Britain has had enough of experts. And you came back with a -- well, that shows why you were such a bad education secretary, which he was.

But that is a fact. The overwhelming, I mean, there has never been such a one-sided argument with all the experts and all your allies on the side of remain. Yet people didn't go for it. What happened?

FARRON: Well, you know as well as anybody, don't you? Because this was a Trump-esque result here. This was people ignoring logical facts, in my view, and voting with their heart, with their gut.

And the problem is that there was a vision set out here. It wasn't, are we better off in or out of the European Union? This is about a declaration of what kind of country we are. Are we outward looking, decent, big, bold, valuable in the world, wanting to be prosperous and to lead or tiny and small and a bit scared of everybody else?

It seems we've opted for that. I just want to say -- I'm going to accept the result. We have to move forward, but I do not accept this country is now permanently in the possession of a movement that says that Britain is to be small and unimportant. That is not something liberal Democrats will accept. We'll lead the movement to bring that back.

AMANPOUR: Well, Trump is in the United Kingdom.

[05:25:00] He's actually said this vote is fantastic for the U.K. He was on record saying this is what the British should do.

Do you think this will lead to a realignment of British politics? The prime minister is going to resign. There's a whole leadership contest. What is it going to mean for domestic British politics?

FARRON: We have a system that doesn't really help multiparty democracy, multiparty systems. But half dozen parties are all the same. It makes it very hard to be successful.

And so, there is an argument now, and I feel it. I've shared platforms with great people from other parties. Some of the moderate liberal end of the conservative party, some of the, moderate progressive end, greens and other things and I think what are we doing in different parties.

The Liberal Democrats were the one united party in favor of being in the European Union. It strikes me this is time for us to be the rallying point for liberals from other parties and to stand up to this really nasty, kind of right-wing insular politics as temporarily on the day.

AMANPOUR: And very finally, what do you make of the Kremlin saying this result shows that Britain needs to make a bigger effort to be better to Russia?

FARRON: Don't you judge a person by the friends they keep? Trump, Putin and Marine Le Pen of the French Nazi national from, say, Weldon, Britain, for voting Brexit. That would make me think twice.

AMANPOUR: Tim Farron, leader of Britain's Liberal Democrat -- thank you very.

We go back to Hannah and Richard.

JONES: Christiane, thank you very much, indeed.

Now to Scotland and the country has voted overwhelmingly to remain in the European union. That, of course, raises the future of this nation, the United Kingdom, and whether they could indeed be another independence referendum.

Let's go to Phil Black who's been in Edinburgh for us at the moment.

Phil, Donald Trump has been commenting on Scotland and the Brexit result as well. He's not exactly making a lot of friends north of the border, is he?

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, Donald Trump says it's a great thing. The other person who is talking about this, particularly the Scottish result in particular, as being clear, decisive and unequivocal is the Scottish first minister. She has said the Scottish people have made the point that they see their future within the European Union.

What she's hinting at there is a democratic mandate. The only way to live up to that mandate to keep Scotland in the European Union would to be tear Scotland away from the United Kingdom. There you are talking about the possibility referendum on Scottish independence.

The last one back in 2014, the independence vote lost. It's been the stated policy of the Scottish first minister to say there could be another referendum in the event of material change in Scotland's circumstances, including if Scotland is pulled out of the European Union against its wishes.

So, that's the circumstance that Scotland now has to decide how to deal with. Nicola Sturgeon will only want to proceed with another referendum in the event that she's certain she'll win it. She'll be very closely, carefully gauging the mood of the Scottish people. If the EU itself, that issue doesn't fire up the hunger of the Scots for independence once more, there's a theory that says this is another issue that could.

And that's the drama that began unfolding in London this morning, the resignation of David Cameron and the question over who will replace him. David Cameron, his Conservative Party, they are deeply unpopular here. In the event of another politician seen as perhaps being more right wing, perhaps less representative of the Scottish people's aspirations, there's a theory that says that could get people once again talking about independence and actively striving to make it happen as quickly as possible -- Hannah.

JONES: Phil, thanks very much indeed. Phil Black with a view from Scotland.

QUEST: To Matthew chance in Moscow.

Matthew, as I'm looking this morning at all the comments, we're waiting for Hollande, we're waiting for Merkel, we're waiting for the Russians have been out in force already from the Kremlin to the Central Bank. Are they reveling in Europe's misfortune this morning?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I wouldn't characterize it as that, although it's been commented by Philip Hammond, for instance, the British foreign secretary that Putin is probably feeling a little less pressure today. And although Putin himself hasn't made any remarks, the Russian foreign minister has been very withdrawn saying if Britain is part of the European Union or not.

I think the most telling remark so far has come from the mayor of Moscow, Sergey Sobyahin is his name. He said this, he said, look, without the U.K. in the European Union, there's going to be nobody to stridently back sanctions against us.

And so, I think that's the main concern here with the Russians. With the U.K. no longer in the European Union, once it withdraws from, it's been one of those most vocal voices in promoting these economic sanctions imposed against Russia.