Ministers warn revoking Article 50 would 'undermine democracy' as they reject record-breaking Brexit petition
3 min read
Ministers have rejected a record-breaking petition calling for Brexit to be cancelled.
The Government rejected the demand from more than 5.8 million signatories to revoke Article 50 - the formal mechanism by which Britain kicked off the Brexit process - saying it would not "honour the result of the 2016 referendum".
But MPs will still debate the petition on 1 April after it smashed the 100,000-signature threshold needed to ensure Parliamentary time.
The petition had taken aim at claims leaving the EU represents "the will of the people", and said: "We need to put a stop to this claim by proving the strength of public support now, for remaining in the EU."
But the Government's official response insisted: "This Government will not revoke Article 50.
"We will honour the result of the 2016 referendum and work with Parliament to deliver a deal that ensures we leave the European Union."
In a lengthy response, the Department for Exiting the European Union meanwhile said it remained the Government's "firm policy not to revoke Article 50" - and warned that staying in the EU "would undermine both our democracy and the trust that millions of voters have placed in Government".
They added: "As the Prime Minister has said, failing to deliver Brexit would cause ‘potentially irreparable damage to public trust’, and it is imperative that people can trust their Government to respect their votes and deliver the best outcome for them."
FREE VOTE THREAT
The rejection of the demand - which was still gaining signatures at the time of writing - came as MPs prepared to vote on a host of Brexit alternatives after a team of backbenchers wrested control of the Commons agenda from the Government.
A total of 16 different options have been tabled by MPs, and Speaker John Bercow will select which ones will be debated and voted on on Wednesday evening.
Theresa May is facing demands to grant Tory MPs a free vote on the exercise, with some Cabinet ministers reportedly warning her she will face a slew of resignations if she tries to whip her parliamentary troops.
According to The Telegraph, Amber Rudd, David Gauke and Greg Clark have all told the Prime Minister that she risks a walkout if she orders MPs to vote against softer Brexit options.
One Cabinet source said up to 20 lower-ranking ministers would resign if she tried to impose a three-line whip, predicting: "There won't be a junior Remain minister left in Government."
Steve Brine, who quit as health minister on Monday to back the so-called 'indicative votes' push, meanwhile told BBC Newsnight: "MPs should be free to vote as they see fit. This is bigger than all of us, bigger than the parties; it's country first."
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