More than 700,000 people have signed a petition demanding a second EU referendum as the UK continues to reel from the vote for a Brexit.
At the present rate of progress by the middle of next week the campaign could overtake the 2007 Downing Street petition urging the Government to abandon plans for pay as you go road pricing which attracted 1.8 million signatures.
Such was the petition’s popularity on Friday morning that it crashed the government’s website, and its popularity means that it must be considered for a Parliamentary debate
A second petition, urging Sadiq Khan, London’s mayor, to declare the capital’s independence topped 100,000 signatures.
On Thursday 51.9 percent of votes were cast to leave the EU, versus 48.1 percent for remaining part of the bloc.
However, the narrow win masked regional discrepancies which saw majorities in favour of remaining in the EU among voters in Scotland, Northern Ireland and London.
Many of those signing the petition demanding a referendum rerun came from major cities.
The petition, set up by William Oliver Healey, said: “We the undersigned call upon HM Government to implement a rule that if they Remain or Leave vote is less than 60% based on a turnout less than 75%, there should be another referendum.”
“This petition is calling on Mayor Sadiq Khan to declare London independent, and apply to join the EU – including membership of the Schengen Zone (Umm, we’ll talk about the Euro…). Mayor Sadiq, wouldn’t you prefer to be President Sadiq? Make it happen!”