Daily Mail Online
- The Catalan parliament has voted 70 to 10 – with two blank ballots – to declare its independence from Spain
- In response, the Spanish senate in Madrid has dismantled Catalonia’s autonomy by invoking article 155
- Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy said he wanted to ‘shut down’ the Catalan regional parliament in a speech today
- Catalan MPs opposed to the region’s independence stormed out of parliament before the vote in protest
- Jubilant Catalans were seen dancing in the streets of Barcelona in response to the news of the declaration
- But shares in Catalan banks fell sharply in response to the news – dragging the entire stock market with them
- Both EU and USA, meanwhile, have backed Spain after the vote – with the US also backing use of article 155
