Brexit: More than 290,000 in less than 48 hours sign letter demanding Final Say referendum

‘Allow us to check whether we want to proceed with this Brexit’

More than 290,000 in only 48 hours people have added their names to an open letter demanding a Final Say referendum.

The letter, organised by People’s Vote campaign and The Independent, urges senior figures in the UK and EU to allow the British public to have a fresh vote on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal.

The wave of public support for a Final Say comes after hundreds of thousands of people marched on parliament on Saturday to demand another referendum.

The open letter said: “We do not want the powerful to force on the people a Brexit that will damage the economy in both the UK and the EU, threaten the peace process in Northern Ireland, as well as lead to years more uncertainty and chaos.

“Please do not turn your back on this last chance to stop us turning in on ourselves.

“Allow us to check whether we want to proceed with this Brexit. Let us decide in a people’s vote.”

The Independent has been campaigning for a Final Say referendum since 2018, and has secured the backing of more than 1.3 million people.

Before the final Brexit deadline the open letter will be delivered to Downing Street and the parliament, as well as the European parliament and the Consilium Building in Brussels where the European Council meets.

MPs will be also be sent a list of signatories from their constituencies.

It is a make-or-break week for the prime minister, as he tries to push his Brexit deal through parliament before the 31 October deadline.

Mr Johnson’s efforts to secure MPs’ backing for his plan were spectacularly derailed at a historic Saturday Commons sitting, when parliament backed a rebel amendment by Sir Oliver Letwin to withhold approval until the full Brexit legislation has passed.

Huge cheers could be heard inside the Palace of Westminster as crowds of demonstrators reacted to the vote, having rallied in great numbers in Parliament Square.

Labour frontbenchers John McDonnell, Diane Abbott and Emily Thornberry all spoke during the rally, while Antoinette Sandbach, an exiled Conservative MP, also reiterated her support for a fresh public vote.

Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, also threw his weight behind the move, in an email to supporters.

“It’s a letter from the people that will go not only to the prime minister, every MP and MEP, as well as the head of all the heads of government among the 27 other European member states,” Sir Keir said.

“It asks them to honour our shared democratic values; it asks them not to turn away from us now and deny us the chance for the final say. Whether you’re joining us today or not, add your name to the letter now and send a message to the powerful.”

The letter can be signed at www.peoples-vote.uk/letter.