100,000 march through London to demand People's Vote referendum on terms of Brexit

March organisers say 100,000 people attended the demonstration. Credit: PA

Some 100,000 pro-EU marchers have taken to the streets of London to demand a referendum on the terms of Brexit two years on from the vote.

The People's Vote march began at Pall Mall and ended in Parliament Square, where crowds waving flags an placards chanted "we demand a people's vote".

Protesters were addressed by politicians such as Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable, Tory former minister Anna Soubry, Labour's David Lammy and Green co-leader Caroline Lucas.

Prominent remainers such as Gina Miller and actor Sir Tony Robinson also spoke to the crowds.

"It's an old-fashioned and embarrassing word but I am a patriot," Sir Tony said.

"I am deeply offended that that word has been hijacked by a few reactionary colonialists over there [gesturing at Parliament] who peddle the fantasy of a UK that never existed except perhaps in the imaginations of their nannies and parlourmaids."

He continued that he had attended the rally due to a "deep and abiding love for my country".

Prominent remainers Gina Miller and actor Sir Tony Robinson addressed the crowds. Credit: PA

The reason for the march, held on the second anniversary of the referendum vote, was due to a "growing momentum saying, 'after two years, that's long enough to have given the Brexiteers their chance, let's now make sure that the people have their say, that there's a people's vote when a final deal is struck'," former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said.

The march came as Boris Johnson urged the Prime Minister to deliver a "full British Brexit" as Cabinet colleagues warned the UK is able to walk away without a deal.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said the UK was not "bluffing" about being prepared to walk away from talks with Brussels, and Brexit Secretary David Davis said there is "lots going on" to prepare in case negotiations collapse.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's remarks about a "bog roll Brexit" that was "soft, yielding and seemingly infinitely long", are "no longer humorous", Labour MP David Lammy said.

"I think Boris Johnson forgets the dignity of his role and the importance of the livelihoods of ordinary British people," the Tottenham MP said.

"The day after that announcement from Airbus I thought his statement was unseemly and deeply inappropriate given his role as Foreign Secretary."

Speaking to ITV News, Mr Lammy continued that while people had voted for Brexit, they had not voted for "a £40 billion divorce bill" and a Cabinet who "can't make up their minds", branding "the whole roadshow" a "mess".

On Friday, Airbus warned it could be forced to pull out of the UK if there was a "no deal" Brexit.

Katherine Bennett, Airbus's Senior Vice President in the UK, insisted that the company does not "deal in idle threats. We seriously believe a no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic".

Mr Lammy continued that the warnings from senior Cabinet ministers that the UK was prepared to walk away from talks with Brussels was "megalomania...

"Walking away without a deal would be an absolute economic disaster for this country ... for God's sake get real. The British people deserve a lot more than a no deal Brexit."

Flags and placards were carried by protesters making their feelings known. Credit: PA

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable described the remarks by senior Cabinet members that the UK could walk away from the EU without a deal as "utterly frivolous and irresponsible.

"A bad deal is bad enough ... but the idea that people can seriously walk away with the havoc that that's going to create for most of our industries is deeply, deeply irresponsible."

He continued that the mood surrounding Brexit is now very different to what it was two years ago: "There are lots of things we didn't know at the time.

"We didn't know about the cost of the divorce bill, about the fact that we'd have less not more revenue for the NHS, we didn't know about the Irish frontier problem.

"We didn't know that we're going to get president Trump or we're going to destroy the trading system on which Brexit depends. A lot of things have changed. The mood has changed."

He also accused the Russian government of "contaminating" the vote, adding Brexit "creates a more chaotic world that's what they want and they put their money behind it and it's done a lot of damage".

Protester Matthew Mann, originally from south Gloucestershire, who moved to the Netherlands in 2016 for work, said he was at the demonstration "to show what a European looks like".

The IT consultant continued: "I'm married to a French wife, I have two children who are dual national, and we live in Holland and are caught up in this administrative mess.

"I have lived and worked across Europe, it's home."

The People's Vote march began at Pall Mall and ended in Parliament Square. Credit: PA

University academic Robert Brady, 62, who works in the computer science department, said: "I have an Italian wife, I work in Cambridge, she works in Rome... I think we're technically what's called 'border workers'."

He added he thought a second referendum was "almost inevitable" as "demographically, younger people are in favour, they want jobs, they don't want to sing Elgar".

The march was held on the second anniversary of the Brexit vote. Credit: PA

Meanwhile, the UK Unity and Freedom march was held in Westminster in support of a no deal Brexit.

A pro-Brexit demonstration also took place in London on Saturday. Credit: PA

Also on Saturday, Siemens UK chief executive Juergen Maier, criticised ministers for their comments on Brexit which he called "incredibly unhelpful" and said it was time to work for a more pragmatic deal with the EU.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the firm wanted a soft Brexit with "minimum friction", saying the Government had presided over "two years of not having achieved what we were promised, which is that this was all going to be easy".

He said: "I think the realities are setting in and I think it is time to get away from slogans, 'full British Brexit', 'going into combat with Europe'.

"It's all incredibly unhelpful and what we need to do now is to get closer with our European partners and work out what a realistic, pragmatic Brexit is that works for both sides, the EU and ourselves."

High profile remainers addressed the crowd. Credit: PA

Meanwhile, research by the Centre for European Reform (CER) think tank indicated Brexit had already made the UK economy 2.1% weaker than it would have been if voters had decided to stay in the EU.

Dr Fox told the BBC it is "essential" the EU "understands... and believes" the Prime Minister's assertion that no deal would be better than a bad deal.

He said the threat had "added credibility because if we were to leave, the economic impact on a number of European countries would be severe".

"I think our negotiating partners would not be wise if they believed that the Prime Minister was bluffing," he said.