Angry over Brexit, thousands to gather in London demanding new referendum

Even as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is going all guns blazing garnering support to get the Brexit deal through, the battle over the controversial exit is likely to hit the streets of London on Saturday. Thousands are expected to march through the British capital to demand a new referendum just as parliament decides the destiny of Britain's departure from the European Union.

British parliamentarians met on Saturday for a crucial vote on the deal for a decision that could see the UK leave the EU this month or plunge the nation into rank uncertainty.

Johnson is putting his all – including his survival – at stake here as he and his team spent the last two days hammering out support for the deal.

- Heated debate -
Securing a deal was a personal victory for Johnson, a figurehead in the Leave campaign who has vowed to deliver brexit on October 31 come what may.

James McGrory, director of the People’s Vote campaign, which organised the march, said the government should heed the anger of pro-Europeans and hold another referendum on Brexit.

“This new deal bears no resemblance to what people were promised and so it is only right that the public deserve another chance to have their say,” he said.

“There can be no better demonstration of the changing will of the people than hundreds of thousands of people on the streets demanding they are listened to as politicians inside parliament take a decision that will affect us for generations.”

While Brexit has divided families, parties, parliament and the country, both sides agree that Saturday could be one of the most important days in recent British history: a juncture that could shape the fate of the United Kingdom for generations.

Campaigners are confident that the number of people on the streets will rival a similar demonstration held in March, when organisers said 1 million people took to the streets.

A rally this size would be among the largest ever in Britain.

More than 170 coaches from around Britain are due to arrive in London to take people to the march. Nine coaches left Scotland on Friday evening and four left from Cornwall on England’s western tip in the early hours of Saturday.

Brexit reversed?

While such an explicit show of discontent is unlikely to change the course of Brexit, the protest frames the drama in parliament and shows there is still significant support for another EU referendum.

In 2016, 17.4 million voters, or 52 per cent, backed Brexit while 16.1 million, or 48 per cent, backed staying in the bloc.

Some opinion polls have shown a slight shift in favour of remaining in the European Union, but there has yet to be a decisive change in attitudes and many voters say they have become increasingly bored by Brexit.

Since July 2017 there have been 226 polls asking people whether they support Leave or Remain, according to a poll of polls by YouGov published last week. Of those, 204 have put support for remaining in the EU ahead, seven have given a lead to leave and a few have been tied.

However, other evidence suggests most voters have not changed their mind: 50% of the public want to respect the referendum result, 42% want Britain to remain in the EU and 8%said they don't know, the largest Brexit poll since 2016 carried out by Comres found.

Supporters of Brexit have repeatedly ruled out holding another referendum, saying it would deepen divisions and undermine support for democracy.

A group of lawmakers in the main opposition Labour Party have put forward an amendment calling for approval of any deal to be put to a second referendum, although this will only be debated if Johnson's agreement is voted down.

The challenge for pro-referendum forces is finding enough support in parliament. In April, when the government held a series of votes on the various Brexit options, a second referendum was the most popular one, but fell short of a majority losing 292 to 280.

Even if another referendum were agreed, it would take months to organise, there would be disputes about the question - and the result would be impossible to predict.

Reuters