Electoral Commission advises extension of EU referendum registration date

Britain's electoral sheriff has advised the government to extend the in-out European Union referendum registration deadline after unspecified issues last night barred many people from doing so online.

The Electoral Commission reported a "very significant" rise in registration applications on the government's website yesterday.

However, proceedings came unstuck when "issues" with the government website hit about 22:15 BST and were not resolved until after the registration deadline of midnight.

It was not immediately clear whether the website suffered from overloading, IT issues or other problems.

"There will be many people who wanted to register to vote last night and were not able to," said the commission in a statement today.

"The registration deadline is set out in legislation and we have said to the government this morning they should consider options for introducing legislation as soon as possible that would extend the deadline," the commission said.

The looming referendum has polarised politicians on the matter of whether Britain should stay in the European Union or quit, with a range of polls implying the vote could go either way.

Last night, Bremain-champion Prime Minister David Cameron and Brexit-pusher UKIP leader Nigel Farage debated the issue in a live ITV broadcast.

An online poll by The Telegraph showed most people believed Farage outclassed Cameron.