AFP/EPA Dutch voters are heading to the polls in a landmark referendum on the EU

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In a stunning rebuke to the European elite voters in the Netherlands have overwhelmingly rejected a plan by EU bureaucrats to bring Ukraine into the bloc’s sphere of influence. The final count showed a whopping 61.1% of the Dutch people voted to block the deal, compared to just 38.1% who want it to go ahead. Their verdict is a crushing blow for the entire federalist project, with the referendum effectively acting as a barometer for anti-EU feeling in the country.

Disconsolate Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte tonight coneded the overwhelming defeat, and said the ratification of the EU treaty now "cannot go ahead". Meanwhile opposition politicians were already toasting victory, with eurosceptic MP Joram van Klaveren declaring: ”The Netherlands is overwhelmingly against this.” Dutch minister Ronald Plasterk earlier sent out a series of desperate tweets to try to mask Brussels’ humiliation, insisting that a number of polling stations in tiny Caribbean colonies will stay open into the early hours.

EPA Dutch campaigners are tonight celebrating an historic victory against the EU

EPA A 'no' vote would be a hammer blow for the Brussels project

AFP Opinion polls suggest the Dutch people will reject the deal

But his colleagues had already given the ghost, with 'yes' camp leader Kees Verhoeven admitting defeat on Twitter and offering his congratulations to euphoric eurosceptic campaigners. One prominent Dutch politician tonight said that the result is a victory for democracy, and predicted it will be followed by Britain voting to leave the Brussels regime this summer. The final turnout stood at 32.2% meaning the referendum is valid in Dutch law. At least 30% of the population needed to take part in the vote for it to be classed as valid, which had left campaigners facing a tense wait for confirmation. The stunning result was tonight welcomed by Brexit campaigners who said it was a stunning condemnation of the EU's expansionist dreams. Leave.EU spokesman Brian Monteith said: "The Dutch result is a stunning condemnation of the European Union's willingness to extend its borders, put international relationships at risk and offer visa free travel to another 44 million people from a war-torn country. "This humiliating rejection of the Ukraine agreement demonstrates that people don't have to support the EU and its expansionist agenda to feel European. Nobody could accuse the Dutch of not being good Europeans but they have no willingness to open their borders to more migrants and pick up the tab for Ukraine's problems just like most UK voters. "This result gives the British people the signal that it is moderate and normal to reject the EU and stand up for what's in our country's best interests. The sun is now setting on the European Union." And reacting to the news, UKIP leader Nigel Farage tweeted: "Dutch exit polls seem to indicate big No to EU vote. Hooray!"

EPA Dutch voters have overwhelmingly rejected an expansionist EU plot

EPA The crushing defeat is a huge blow to the whole Brussels project

Maar hoe dan ook, ik ben geweldig trots op alle tegenstemmers, 64% volgens exitpoll!! #bedankt pic.twitter.com/Cw3wzid40T — Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) April 6, 2016

Dutch exit polls seem to indicate big No to EU vote. Hooray! — Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) April 6, 2016

Conceding defeat earlier, Mr Rutte said his government could not ignore "such a great victory". He said: "It is clear that the 'no' camp has won to an overwhelming extent. The question is whether the rise is enough. If the turnout is above 30 percent, with such a large victory for the 'no' camp, then that means we can not simply continue with the ratification. “We are going to see everything step by step. It will take days, if not weeks. He added: “It's a little early to give detailed analysis. But let's be perfectly clear - the ’no' camp won. But it remains to be seen whether the threshold has been met. If so, and with such a great victory of the 'no' camp, this treaty can not be ratified without more. "Congratulations to the 'no' camp, they managed to get a large part of the electorate behind them. Now we enter a process that certainly will take days - talks in the cabinet, talking in Europe, talking in the room, we will really take our time. I also think that to show respect for the voters we must look very carefully at this. "

REUTERS Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is under huge pressure to accept the result of the vote

REUTERS Brexit campaigners have said the result could have a huge beating on Britain's own referendum

I hope that later, both in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe, other countries will follow Eurosceptic Geert Wilders

Meanwhile populist Dutch eurosceptic leader Geert Wilders predicted that the result will provide a huge boost to the crusade to get Britain out of the EU. He said: "I think many Dutchmen are fed up with more European Union and this treaty with Ukraine that is not in the interests of the Dutch people. "I hope that later, both in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe, other countries will follow." After the exit poll result was announced, Mr Wilders tweeted a message to his supporters simply saying "thank you". The Dutch people will now have to wait with bated breath to see whether their country’s government and the EU elite will accept their democratic decision. Ministers in the Netherlands have already made noises about the result of the referendum not being legally binding, whilst arrogant Brussels bureaucrats have already ploughed ahead with putting the agreement with Ukraine in place. It has been automatically accepted by mandarins in 27 member states including Britain, and the Dutch only got their referendum thanks to the hard work of activists who gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures to trigger a vote.

The deal proposes a huge shift in political, trade and defence cooperation between Brussels and Kiev which is seen as the first step towards Ukraine becoming a full EU member. But it has gone down like a lead balloon with the Dutch public, who are increasingly turning against the EU as calls for a Brexit continue to gather pace. Earlier this week one of the campaigners behind the referendum, Thierry Baudet, said that Britain should vote to sever ties with Brussels if the EU ignores the will of his people and ploughs ahead with the deal. He said: "If politicians ignore the Dutch 'no' then it will be an even stronger signal than what the British have already received - that there is no way to correct the European political class and that they should vote to leave." And on Monday UKIP leader Nigel Farage predicted that a ‘no’ vote would open the British public’s eyes to the deep eurosceptic feeling across the continent, paving the way for a Brexit.

EU referendum Sat, February 20, 2016 With an in/out referendum on EU membership set for June 23 this year, we're taking an overview look of David Cameron's two-day visit at EU summit at EU headquarters in Brussels and his return to Downing Street to meet with his cabinet. Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 21 British Prime Minister David Cameron speaks at Downing Street