'Worst day in post-war British history': Political leaders and celebrities stunned at Brexit and Cameron's resignation

Today has seen a political upheaval rock the UK. How are people reacting to David Cameron stepping down?

Peter Mandelson has described today's upheavals as "the worst day in post war British history".

His comments come in the wake of British Prime Minister David Cameron resigning after the UK voted to leave the EU.

The former cabinet member also called for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to resign, adding: "He seemed to be travelling through the entire referendum with a handbrake on."

Former Labour leader Tony Blair told the BBC: "I' very sad for our country, for Europe, for the world". He called for a "very mature and reflective" response.

Brexit campaigner and former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan Smith said: “I’m sorry that he’s gone.”

Clearly upset, Mr Cameron this morning said: ''I love this country and I feel honoured to have served it.''

He said: "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 for these big decisions.

"We not only have a parliamentary democracy, but on questions about the arrangements for how we've governed there are times when it is right to ask the people themselves and that is what we have done."

But how has the world reacted to this monumental decision?

Golfer Rory McIlroy has asked if the UK can take another shot at 2016 after a chaotic morning that saw Brexit and the PM stepping down.

He told his followers on Twitter that he wanted "a mulligan on 2016" - which in golfing terms is another shot.

His tweet said: "With £Brexit and the way the US presidential race is going... Can we take a mulligan on 2016?"
TV presenter Dawn O'Porter said she was "gutted".

Furious JK Rowling has taken to Twitter to say it will be David Cameron's fault if pro-remain Scots now vote to leave the UK - saying Cameron will be to blame for the break-up of TWO unions.

The Edinburgh-based Harry Potter author, a vocal opponent of independence during the 2014 Scottish referendum, spoke out passionately in favour of Britain staying in the EU.

Rory McIlroy wnats another shot at the UK referendum

Now, as SNP chiefs decide whether to push for a second referendum after Scotland voted to remain in the EU and England and Wales voted to leave, she has posted: "Cameron's legacy will be breaking up two unions. Neither needed to happen."

War veteran and pro-Europe campaigner Harry Leslie Smith tweeted: "#DavidCameron resigns after causing much harm to Britain and no good."

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson wrote: "Right for the Prime Minister to offer stability while the country plots its course. Honorable to the last."

Former Tory cabinet minister Baroness Warsi tweeted: "Stunned & deeply saddened that David has decided to resign.

"Simply lost for words. Need leadership more now than ever before."

Michael Fallon, speaking on BBC Radio 4, said: "I think he feels it’s the honourable thing to do. He lost the argument – Michael Fallon on Cameron resignation."

Singers Lily Allen and Ellie Goulding had their say on Twitter, with the former writing: "Well millennials. We're really really f***ed."

Goulding said she was "heartbroken to hear the news" in her tweet.

Footballer and broadcaster Gary Lineker said: "It's not a time for triumphalism. Not a time for division. Not a time for hatred. It's a time for change. A time for calm. A time in history."

Coronation Street star Samia Ghadie told her followers she was "in shock at what this may mean for our country".

The interest in the referendum result has also seen stars from across the Atlantic expressing a view.

American Idol's Ryan Seacrest, the executive producer of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, said: "Shocking news out of UK this morning. Definitely a day for the history books... £Brexit."

Winless Rory McIlroy frustrated by negative spin over 2016 performances

Crisis, what crisis? Rory McIlroy has criticised what he regards as the negative perception of his 2016 to date. McIlroy has not won this year despite a consistent run of six top-10 finishes in nine strokeplay events. At the WGC Match Play Championship he was defeated in the semi-final.

Context is, of course, everything. Expectation has surrounded McIlroy since his emergence on to the professional scene; he has backed that up with four major championships. It is his level of talent which fuels discussion over this supposedly barren run.

“I’m relaxed about it,” the world No3 said. “It frustrates me, I guess, the negative spin that’s being put on it. I know expectations for myself are higher than other players, but you look at my record this year with a third in Abu Dhabi, a fifth in Dubai, a third at Doral, fourth in the Match Play; my bad weeks are top 10s, basically.

“So it frustrates me that the narrative is: ‘There’s something missing in Rory’s game’ or ‘What’s wrong with Rory?’ I don’t feel like there’s anything wrong. It’s very close. I’m waiting for something to happen; I might need to make something happen but it’s not as far away as I feel some people think it is.

“I feel very comfortable with where my game is at and I know that if I go out and play my best, or close to my best, I’m going to have a great chance to win this week [at the Irish Open], next week, basically all season.”

Paul McGinley, McIlroy’s former Ryder Cup captain, has suggested the 27-year-old’s focus may be lacking. “It just hasn’t quite happened yet and I’m trying to stay as patient as possible,” McIlroy said.

“But sometimes that’s hard to do when you feel like you’re playing really well but the results aren’t quite there. I just need to string four good rounds together in a tournament and I feel like from there I’ll be off and running and that could be the catapult and stepping stone to another great season.”

McIlroy’s Rory Foundation is the host of the Irish Open, in which he features at The K Club from Thursday. The tournament has not been particularly kind to him in recent times.

“To be able to get involved and not just play for myself but for other people, to help other people out, I enjoy that part of it,” McIlroy said. “I want to come here, I want to help out. I want to make this one of the best tournaments in the world.”

Irish Open: Rising star Tom McKibbin joins Rory McIlroy for pro-am

Some of the world best golfers are gathering for the start of the Irish Open in County Kildare, but on Wedneday the pre-tournament pro-am took place.

It was hosted by world number three Rory McIlroy, and saw a long list of celebrities taking to the course.

McIlroy also invited 13-year-old player Tom McKibbin, from Newtownabbey in County Antrim, for a round.

The BBC's Ireland correspondent Chris Buckler went to meet and caddy for the rising star.

Rory McIlroy may have had role in switch of Open venue

Rory McIlroy may have played a significant role in the European Tour decision not to take the Irish Open to Lough Erne next summer.

The world number three and tournament host privately indicated to the tour his own preference to keep the event on links courses.

While the Lough Erne course is an impressive 18-hole set-up, there were always problems with the decision to have the 2017 Irish Open played there.

It was announced as the venue two years ago by First Minister Arlene Foster.

But doubts about the likelihood of the tour taking place at Lough Erne began to emerge at the start of this year when the European Tour's Antonia Beggs declined to confirm that the event would be held there in 2017.

Yesterday, the plug was pulled in an unequivocal statement by the Tour.

"While the 2017 Irish Open will not be staged at Lough Erne, the European Tour looks forward to working with the new ownership consortium and I am confident that the Lough Erne Resort will host an event with the European Tour in the future," said European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley.

"Details of the 2017 venue will be announced in due course, but in the meantime we are solely focused on ensuring that the 2016 tournament, which will be staged at the K Club in six weeks' time, is a great success."

With the tour determined to continue to alternate between courses in Northern Ireland and in the Republic, Portstewart has been mentioned as a possible replacement venue.

It would suit McIlroy's desire to have the event played on a links course and, although it does not quite have the reputations of the Royals at Portrush and County Down, it is still a highly regarded course and club. McIlroy was once the touring professional attached to Lough Erne in his early days on tour when it was owned by family friend Jim Treacey.

But the business went into receivership after the financial crash of 2008.

Irish Independent.

Rory McIlroy is up, down at Honda Classic

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — The good? Rory McIlroy won the 2012 Honda Classic in a thrilling back-nine duel with Tiger Woods and Tom Gillis, and two years later lost in a playoff to Russell Henley.

The bad? McIlroy missed the cut in the Honda last year.

The ugly? As the defending champion in 2013, and already 7-over par, he suddenly withdrew midway through his round on Friday because of a sore wisdom tooth.

McIlroy, who with a victory this week can join Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only players in the modern era with at least 12 PGA Tour wins before their 27th birthdays, doesn’t exactly have a love-hate relationship with the tournament. But his game, like the ever-changing winds that sweep across the Champion Course, can change quickly here.

“It’s the nature of me,” McIlroy said Wednesday with a smile of his up-and-down ways in the Honda Classic.

It’s the nature of the course, too, the world No. 3 added. The Jack Nicklaus redesign is always at the mercy of the winds, which if they are hitting 15 mph and above, make the already tight course with plenty of water hazards and difficult greens even tighter and tougher.

“It’s one of these golf courses that if you’re slightly off, it can really magnify your misses a little bit, and it can make you feel as if you’re playing worse than what you actually are,” McIlroy said. “I feel if you’re in control of your golf game, it’s one of these courses that you can play well at and you can give yourself plenty of opportunities, and it’s not like you need to go crazy low here to be in contention.

“It’s a tough golf course, and with some of the tough conditions we can get here, it is one of the more challenging venues that we play every year.”

All in all, McIlroy, who lives within 10 minutes of the course, counts the Honda among his favorite tournaments. As forgettable as he’d like his walk-off in 2013 to be, and for the most part, McIlroy and the golf community quickly moved on from that moment, his victory in 2012 remains one of his fondest memories. Not only did he hold off Woods and Gillis, he ascended to No. 1 in the world for the first time.

“I didn’t think about anything else but winning because that’s what I wanted to achieve; getting to world No. 1 was a byproduct of winning the tournament,” McIlroy said. “But I was so focused on that that I didn’t think about anything else. Mentally, I was prepared to win and that’s what I was going to do.

“It was probably one of my better Sunday performances coming down the stretch with a few guys putting pressure on me. There’s a few moments in my career that I feel like to this point I’ll always remember, and getting to No. 1 for the first time here I’ll certainly remember.”

McIlroy, who with four majors is just a Masters title away from completing the career Grand Slam, likes the state of his game. While he has an eye on the Masters, his mind is solely on winning tournaments heading to Augusta National. He’ll play this week and then three more events before the Masters.

He said he’s seen progress this year. In three events, he’s finished in ties for third and sixth, and last week he tied for the lead in the final round with an eagle on the first hole. But he then tumbled to a tie for 20th. He spent a day getting over his poor final round.

“I didn’t think about it too much,” McIlroy said. “I know my game is in good shape and it’s there, and I hope to get into contention again this week.”

Rory McIlroy returns to scene of highest, lowest career moments

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — The weather on Wednesday at PGA National, the site of this week’s Honda Classic, began with sunny skies and docile winds. By midday, clouds engulfed the massive resort property and the wind freshened. And by late afternoon, thunderstorms with tornado warnings rattled the area with high winds and heavy rain.

Rory McIlroy’s performance in seven career starts at the Honda Classic, which begins Thursday, mirrors the turbulent twists and turns in Wednesday’s weather in that it can be best described as volatile.

McIlroy experienced a coming-of-age moment in 2012 when he won the tournament and elevated to No. 1 in the world for the first time, staving off a furious final-round 62 by Tiger Woods along the way.

A year later, while defending his title and No. 1 world ranking, McIlroy authored an embarrassing act-your-age moment.

Frustrated with his struggling game — 7-over par on his first eight holes — he quit on the ninth hole of his second round, marched directly to his car and drove off after telling the couple of reporters who tailed him to the parking lot: “There’s not really much I can say, guys. I’m not in a good place mentally, you know?’’

An hour later, his publicist issued a statement claiming that McIlroy quit because of a toothache.

McIlroy quit that day because he was embarrassed by his play and was having trouble figuring out how to his hit new Nike golf clubs, which he had switched to for millions of dollars after ascending to No. 1.

The following year, in 2014, McIlroy had another forgettable Honda Classic, losing in a playoff after holding the 54-hole lead with a final-round 74 that was marred by a double bogey on 16 and a bogey on 17.

Last year, he missed the cut by three shots.

What could be in store this week for McIlroy at his love-hate venue, which is located a mere 10-minute drive from his Palm Beach Gardens home?

McIlroy, ranked No. 3 in the world, is seeking his first win of the season. He was in position last week at the Northern Trust Open at Riviera, where he eagled the first hole of the final round only to tumble from contention with a sloppy 75.

When he was asked a softball question on Wednesday about his “ups and downs’’ in the Honda Classic and whether it’s “the nature’’ of the “tough course’’ or the “wind,” McIlroy delivered the perfect response when he said with a laugh: “I think it’s the nature of me.’’

Indeed, unlike the steady, consistent relentlessness of Woods when he was in the throes of his dominance, McIlroy has a little Phil Mickelson in him — when he’s on he’s better than anyone else in the world, and when he’s off, he can look like a weekend 20-handicapper at the local muni.

“You always want to win,’’ McIlroy said. “Progress is winning and seeing how you perform under pressure. But at the same time, progress is how you’re feeling with your game, if you feel like you can see improvements. I guess for me at the minute, progress is results-based, because I feel like I’m playing well. I feel like my game is in good shape. So it’s going out there and doing it when it matters.’’

McIlroy will be trying to channel his 2012 self this week, win again and chase that No. 1 ranking that’s owned by Jordan Spieth, who turned professional at age 19 when McIlroy seized No. 1 for the first time.

“When I won here in 2012, all the talk for me was trying to get to No. 1 in the world,’’ McIlroy said. “It was a week for me [when] I didn’t think about anything else but winning, because that’s what I wanted to achieve. Getting to world No. 1 was a byproduct of winning the tournament, but I was so focused on that that I didn’t think about anything else. Mentally, I was prepared to win and that’s what I was going to do.

“It was probably one of my better Sunday performances coming down the stretch with a few guys [namely Woods, his boyhood idol whom he stared down for the first time] putting pressure on me. There’s a few moments in my career that I feel like to this point, I’ll always remember and getting to No. 1 for the first time here I’ll certainly remember.’’

Golfer Rory McIlroy may be engaged again amid speculation of Paris proposal

He reportedly ended his first with a phone call, and now Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy is engaged to be married for a second time, it has been reported.

According to the Irish Independent, McIlroy has become engaged to his girlfriend of nearly one year, Erica Stoll.

McIlroy, 26, posted a picture of the Eiffel Tower to his social media accounts on Wednesday night, prompting speculation that he had used the location as a site to propose to Stoll, who works for PGA America.

The Independent claims an "inside source" has informed them the world No. 3 has popped the question and the couple are "over the moon".

However, the golfer's representatives have declined to confirm the engagement saying: "We don't comment on speculation about our client's personal life."

We hear from DP World Tour Championship and Race To Dubai winner Rory McIlroy, who looks back on a somewhat frustrating 2015 and ahead to hopefully a very successful new year in 2016

McIlroy's personal life made headlines in May last year, when he called off his engagement from Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki six months before their wedding.

McIlroy took the blame for the cancellation, which came five months after he proposed to Wozniacki at the New Years Eve fireworks in Sydney.

"The problem is mine," he said in a statement.

"The wedding invitations issued at the weekend made me realise that I wasn't ready for all that marriage entails. I wish Caroline all the happiness she deserves and thank her for the great times we've had."

However, at a press conference a week after the split, Wozniacki revealed McIlroy had broken off their three-year relationship in a phone call, which was reportedly only three minutes long. 

"Obviously it's always you know, you're not prepared for something like this, and [it] came [as] a bit as a shock," she said.

Three months after calling off his engagement, McIlroy told reporters at the PGA Championship that being single had improved his career.

"I think what happened has been for the better in terms of my golf," he said. "I've put a bit more time into it and it has refocused me. I mean, what else do I have to do now?"

In May, McIlroy spoke to the London Times magazine about his new romance with Stoll, saying that he was "very happy" in his love life.

"We haven't really been putting it out there. She is from America, which is why I like to spend time in Palm Beach [in Florida]," he said.

"The past six or seven months have been really nice.

"That part of my life is going great."