Our campaign struck more of a chord than we ever imagined. Now we’re off to Downing Street

The response to our Final Say petition proves that media organisations should never shy away from taking a bold stance on the big issues of the day

When we launched our Final Say campaign in July we were confident that we would strike a chord with readers, many of whom shared our concern with the way the Brexit process has played out. Still, you never know for sure what level of response a media campaign will generate.

That we are now on the verge of delivering to 10 Downing Street a petition of well over a million names in support of our call for a further referendum is testament to the strength of feeling that exists over Brexit.

It shows too why news media organisations should not shy away from campaigning on big issues of the day: we can help ensure that widely held opinions are given the focus and the platform their intensity deserves. To those of you who have supported our Final Say call, we thank you.

Our million-strong petition will be delivered to the prime minister’s famous door on Monday at noon (and don’t worry, to save paper we aren’t printing out all those names!). But of course that is not the end of our campaign – we will continue to set out the case, ever more urgently, for the public to given the final say on whether Britain should leave the EU now that we know what deal is on offer (and what the likely consequences are of a no-deal withdrawal).

Indeed, the agreement which Theresa May has negotiated with Brussels appears to have only made the argument for a second referendum even stronger. It has been criticised by both Leavers and Remainers and it has left parliament at loggerheads. The vast majority of commentators predict that MPs will vote the deal down in just over a week’s time. Should that happen, we are in uncharted territory.

The truth is that the referendum in 2016 asked a simple question to which there were actually more answers than the two which appeared on the ballot paper. If voters had been given a copy of the Brexit deal negotiated by May and the EU, and been asked whether they wished to accept it, would they have said yes? Ultimately, we don’t know – but we should most certainly find out.

Yours,

Will Gore

Executive editor