Yahoo News What has the Government told the six million people who signed petition demanding Brexit be cancelled?
The Government has told nearly six million people who signed a petition demanding a stop to Brexit that they will not be revoking Article 50.
The petition smashed the 100,000 threshold for consideration and became the best-supported proposal in the history of the House of Commons and Government’s e-petitions website after pulling in over 5.8 million signatures.
However, the Department for Exiting the EU has now responded to signatories, telling them that revoking Article 50 would ‘undermine democracy’.
The email states: ”It remains the Government’s firm policy not to revoke Article 50. We will honour the outcome of the 2016 referendum and work to deliver an exit which benefits everyone, whether they voted to Leave or to Remain.
“Revoking Article 50, and thereby remaining in the European Union, would undermine both our democracy and the trust that millions of voters have placed in Government.
“The Government acknowledges the considerable number of people who have signed this petition. However, close to three-quarters of the electorate took part in the 2016 referendum, trusting that the result would be respected.
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“This Government wrote to every household prior to the referendum, promising that the outcome of the referendum would be implemented.
“17.4 million people then voted to leave the European Union, providing the biggest democratic mandate for any course of action ever directed at UK Government.
“British people cast their votes once again in the 2017 General Election, where over 80% of those who voted, voted for parties – including the opposition – who committed in their manifestos to upholding the result of the referendum.
“This Government stands by this commitment.”
Referencing previous statements made by Theresa May, the email added: “Revoking Article 50 would break the promises made by Government to the British people, disrespect the clear instruction from a democratic vote, and in turn, reduce confidence in our democracy.
“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.”
Despite the official rejection, a second email confirmed the petition is due to be debated by MPs on April 1.
MPs will also debate a petition calling for a second EU referendum, which has received more than 120,000 signatures, and another – signed by more than 140,000 – demanding that the UK leave with or without a deal on March 29.
The Revoke Article 50 petition rejects the claim that EU withdrawal is the “will of the people”, and calls for the revocation of the Article 50 letter informing the European Council of the UK’s intention to leave.
The Article 50 letter can be withdrawn by the UK unilaterally, without the need for EU agreement, leaving Britain free to continue as a member on its current terms.
Nearly half a million people are estimated to have took to the streets of London on Saturday in support of the petition.
