After months of heated public debate, Scotland has voted to remain a part of the U.K.
Polls leading up to the referendum showed the vote was too close to call, but ultimately Scottish voters heeded the warnings of U.K. leaders, celebrities, and politicians about the risks and uncertainty of independence. (Video via Euronews)
A "No" vote seemed like a foregone conclusion when the referendum chatter first began — but startling gains by the pro-independence "Yes" movement and its leader Alex Salmond took the region within a hair's breadth of splitting away. (Video via BBC)
And while the U.K. no longer has to deal with the threat of an imminent break-up, the headache isn't over for Prime Minister David Cameron and his government.
Days before the vote, Cameron and opposition leaders Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband signed a pledge to provide Scotland's parliament with "extensive new powers" in the event of a "No" vote.
What's more, Cameron pledged to uphold the Barnett formula — the U.K. government spending ratio which is generously weighed in Scotland's favor — if the Scots stayed. (Video via ITV)
Those policies are controversial with Cameron's Tory colleagues, and the Prime Minister could face a conservative rebellion for his generosity to Scotland.
Cameron has yet to announce the specifics of any power shift from the U.K. to Scotland.
This video includes images from Getty Images.
