Brexit: One day until last Final Say march in London ahead of October 31 deadline

Demonstration on October 19 could be ‘one of the biggest Britain has ever seen,’ says Lord Hain

There is just one day to go until the last major demonstration in favour of a second referendum before the UK is due to leave the European Union on 31 October.

Hundreds of thousands are expected to march on the streets of London on Saturday 19 October to demand a Final Say vote on the terms of any deal secured Boris Johnson, or whether the UK should leave at all.

Organisers said the march, organised by the People’s Vote campaign and supported by The Independent, is expected to be the biggest yet.

More than 170 coaches have been hired to transport people to London, an increase on the number that were booked for the previous protest, on 23 March.

The march will take place on the day that, according to the law, Mr Johnson must ask the EU for a further delay to Brexit if he has not managed to secure an exit deal at the European Council summit the day before.

It will begin at midday and see protesters walk from Park Lane to Parliament Square, where MPs and celebrities will address the crowds.

Lord Hain, former Northern Ireland secretary and supporter of the march, said: “Time may be running out for Johnson, but he cannot be allowed to force a vicious Brexit on us to meet his self-imposed deadline. Ultimately whatever emerges as his Brexit plan has to be tested in a final say referendum. That is the only fair and democratic outcome. And that is why, on Saturday 19 October, vast numbers of people will gather in London for one of the biggest political demonstrations Britain has ever seen.”

A spokesman for the People’s Vote campaign said: “This Brexit crisis has now come down to a simple question about whether we live in a democracy: can we allow Boris Johnson to force no deal – or another vicious form of Brexit – on our country, without all of us having our voice heard?

“The only way to break the deadlock in Parliament, legitimise the outcome and allow us all to talk about something else, is to give the people the final say.”

The prospect of an agreement between the UK and EU appears slim.

EU leaders have told Mr Johnson there is no way to strike a Brexit agreement before this week’s summit, destroying his hopes of presenting a deal to parliament at a special sitting on Saturday.

Labour MP Margaret Beckett, co-chair of the People’s Vote political committee said: “The kind of deal previously proposed by Theresa May would have left the UK significantly worse off and an ever-growing number of MPs from all parties concluded that it would be wrong to impose this on the people without going back to them to check that they still want to go ahead.

“But on every test – trade, productivity and growth – Boris Johnson’s proposals are worse than those of Theresa May which were rejected three times by the House of Commons. Now we know the real cost of the kind of Brexit Boris Johnson is proposing, the only fair and democratic way to solve this crisis is to let the people decide in a final say referendum.”