The view down Downing Street can normally be summed up by one word: gloomy.

Most of the light is blocked out by the huge Foreign Office building one street along, which creates a perennially overcast look.

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But as the value of the pound plunged yesterday morning, for once the sun began to shine brightly outside the Prime Minister's official residence.

Inside for the second time in less than two years David Cameron found himself planning what to say to the world's media camped outside, awaiting his reaction to a crucial referendum result.

In September 2014 he used the moment to welcome Scotland's decision to stay in the United Kingdom.

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But he also triggered howls of protest with a shock move to restrict the voting rights of Scottish MPs, so-called ‘English votes for English laws’.

It would later emerge that he had been so nervous about the result he had sat up watching local vote declarations with one of his children, wearing tartan pyjamas, on his knee.

Of course, that time, in Mr Cameron’s eyes, it was all right on the night.

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He had no such luck this time around.

Hours before he emerged a French journalist, looked straight into her television camera and said first in English and then in French: “David Cameron is finished”.

This was followed by a brief flurry of activity at around 6.55am.

An astonished Downing Street cat found himself plonked outside No 10 for his morning, er, business, with 100 pairs of eyes on him.

More and more people went in and out of the building as the clock ticked closer to the UK markets opening at 8am.

But still Mr Cameron did not emerge.

Eventually after banks like Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and others had lost more than 20 per cent of their value, he came out.

It was the sight of Samantha Cameron beside him that confirmed he was resigning.

Standing to the left of her husband, Mrs Cameron looked as if she was on the verge of crying.

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The Tory leader's short speech was, like many he has given before, punchy and to the point.

He talked about timetables, handovers and captains of ships.

But his voice broke as he added: "I love this country and I feel honoured to have served it and I will do everything I can in future to help this great country succeed."

After he had finished his wife took his hand and together they walked slowly and with dignity back through the doors of No 10.

They did not turn for a final look back before they entered, despite the pleas from waiting photographers.

Sources later described the mood inside Downing Street as “tearful”.