Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Brexit: More than 170 coaches to bring second referendum supporters to London for major Final Say protest

Activists to travel from afar afield as Inverness and Truro for protest that is expected to be biggest yet

Benjamin Kentish
Political Correspondent
Tuesday 08 October 2019 10:22 BST
Comments
Campaigners gear up for fresh Final Say march demanding second Brexit referendum

More than 170 coaches have been hired to transport anti-Brexit campaigners to London for a major protest later this month.

Organisers say the latest Final Say march is likely to be the biggest yet, with transport arranged to bring people from all parts of the country.

The event, on 19 October, is being supported by The Independent and is expected to be one of the biggest protests in British history.

The 170 coaches mark an increase on the number that were booked for the previous People’s Vote march, on 23 March.

The longest journey will see supporters of a fresh Brexit referendum travel from Inverness on one of ten coaches coming from Scotland. Another coach will bring people from Truro in Cornwall, and 20 will make the journey from Wales.

Dozens of coaches will travel from strongly pro-Brexit areas, with campaigners for a second referendum hiring vehicles to come from Lincolnshire, Derby, Darlington and the Welsh Valleys.

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

Ahead of the event, Labour MP David Lammy, one of the leading supporters of a Final Say vote, said: “On Saturday 19 October the people of the United Kingdom will come together to tell Boris Johnson loud and clear he must seek our consent before he inflicts his Brexit on our country.

“Whether it’s a deal or no deal, the Brexit the prime minister is planning bears no relation to the promises made back in 2016 and it threatens immense harm to our economy, our prosperity, our young people and our United Kingdom.”

He added: “Support for a People’s Vote is growing, and on Saturday 19th a fleet of buses and coaches from all parts of the UK will bring people to London to have their say. It will be a huge democratic moment for our country as we say loud and clear that, whatever you think about Brexit, the only clear way out of this mess is to give the people the final say.”

The march will take place on the day that, according to the law, Boris 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.

The prospects of an agreement appear slim, with EU leaders pouring cold water on a compromise plan put forward by Mr Johnson last week.

On Monday, Donald Tusk, the European Council president, accused the prime minister of playing a “stupid blame game” and asked him in Latin: “Where are you going?”

A poll last week found that voters favour another referendum over a general election as the best way to break the deadlock.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in