600,000 sign petition to cancel Brexit

Launched yesterday in the light of growing chaos and uncertainty over whether the UK will leave the EU with no deal next week, the petition is rising by more than 1,000 signatures a minute.

This comes as a Put it to the People protest is being planned in London on Saturday, with marchers assembling at noon in Park Lane to march to Parliament. Organisers say they want “to make the calls for a People’s Vote too loud to ignore”.

With eight days to go before the UK is supposed to leave the EU, UK Prime Minister Theresa May is in Brussels today to meet with the EU heads of state at their last scheduled summit before the intended Brexit day.

She has written to European Council president Donald Tusk asking for a ‘short extension’ to the end of June – a surprise move after she told Parliament last week that in the event of the deal being voted down again she would expect the EU to only accept a long extension. Mr Tusk then stated that this would only be possible if the UK parliament votes for the negotiated deal.

Commentators think Mrs May came under pressure from hardline Brexiter MPs not to ask for a long delay to the end of the year or more.

The Prime Minister made a speech outside Number 10 last night in which she said the UK would not now leave on time and blamed Parliament for it saying that “it is a matter of great personal regret to me”. The public has “had enough” and is “tired of political games and arcane procedural rows,” she said.

Mrs May added that the proposed short extension was “to give MPs the time to make a final choice”.

She said the MPs must now decide if they want to leave with the deal, no deal, or not at all.

Speaking before Parliament yesterday Mrs May repeated that "as Prime Minister, I could not consider a delay further beyond June 30", wording which several commentators think was a hint that she would resign if that was to happen.