‘In’ campaigner Ipswich MP Ben Gummer was unable to hide his devastation at the news of the referendum result today.

He said: “I am feeling sick to the pit of my stomach about the impact this will have on jobs across the country.

“I now have a massive job to work with other ministers to keep the country stable. It will be a very difficult task but I would like to assure my constituents that I will do all I can to try to help.

“But I cannot disguise the fact that this will be a very, very difficult time – and there will be affects for my constituents.”

Suffolk Coastal Conservative MP Dr Therese Coffey joined all her colleagues in the county to support Britain’s remaining a member of the EU.

She was disappointed as the results came in, but insisted the country had to look to the future.

She said: “It has been a very high turnout and people have taken the opportunity to make their voice heard. We will listen to what they have said and then go forward from that.”

She was speaking before all the results were in and was not prepared to concede – but accepted things were not going as she had hoped.

“For me it was a balanced decision to back remain, based on the impact on the economy. If we do vote to come out then we will have to work out the best way to do that.”

Dr Coffey said the government still had a mandate to continue its work – and she would expect David Cameron to continue as Prime Minister to carry out negotiations with other EU members.

Pro-remain MPs James Cartlidge and Jo Churchill from South Suffolk and Bury St Edmunds both accepted the result of the referendum and said that the country now had to pull together.

Mr Cartlidge said: “There was a big turnout and effectively it does look like a very big win for the Leave side, especially in England. We have to work through this.”

Mrs Churchill said: “This has been the biggest decision of my lifetime, bigger than going into the Common Market. Now we have to work out what it means and try to ensure that things can carry on.”

Douglas Carswell, the only UKIP MP and representative for Clacton, said: “The Tendring result is magnificent, and where Essex folk lead it looks like the rest of the country will follow.

“The arrogant, smug elite who have run this country and sign us up to these treaties have been brought to a heel. Instead of us answering to them, they need to listen to us.

“How dare they spend our money on their priorities, sign us up to foreign judges, and smear us for wanting to control our borders.”

He said the atmosphere in the Vote Leave office, where was watching the results come in was very “sombre” and people were “optimistic but not complacent”.

“We are very much focused,” he added.