Tens of thousands of people have marched through London on the second anniversary of the EU referendum to demand a fresh vote on the terms of the Brexit deal.
Politicians from across the political spectrum took part in the Peopleâs Vote rally on Saturday as the divisions over withdrawal from the European Union showed no sign of narrowing.
Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable and his predecessor Sir Nick Clegg, Green co-leader Caroline Lucas, actor and Labour activist Tony Robinson and pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller were among those who joined the crowd in the capital.
The demonstration came after leading Brexiteers warned that Britain is prepared to walk away from negotiations without a deal.
Boris Johnson urged the Prime Minister to deliver a âfull British Brexitâ, saying people would not tolerate a âbog roll Brexitâ that was âsoft, yielding and seemingly infinitely longâ.
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox told the BBC the UK was not âbluffingâ about quitting Brussels talks and Brexit Secretary David Davis said in an interview with the Express there is âlots going onâ to prepare in case negotiations collapse.
Their remarks were published on Saturday but made before Airbus on Thursday threatened to quit the UK in the wake of a no-deal Brexit.
The head of Siemens UK criticised the politicians, saying their comments were âincredibly unhelpfulâ and said it was time to work for a more pragmatic deal with the EU.
Juergen Maier told BBC Radio 4âs Today that the firm wanted a soft Brexit with âminimum frictionâ, saying the Government had presided over âtwo years of not having achieved what we were promised, which is that this was all going to be easyâ.
He said: âI think the realities are setting in and I think it is time to get away from slogans, âfull British Brexitâ, âgoing into combat with Europeâ.
âItâs all incredibly unhelpful and what we need to do now is to get closer with our European partners and work out what a realistic, pragmatic Brexit is that works for both sides, the EU and ourselves.â
A large crowd waving EU flags and placards attended the Peopleâs Vote rally on Saturday afternoon, walking from Pall Mall to Parliament Square.
The Peopleâs Vote estimated that 100,000 took part, but the figure could not be independently verified.
Sir Vince told the Press Association he thought evidence was pointing towards a public rethink of Brexit if the terms of any deal were put to a vote.
He said: âThere are lots of things we didnât know at the time. We didnât know about the cost of the divorce bill, about the fact that weâd have less not more revenue for the NHS, we didnât know about the Irish frontier problem.
âWe didnât know that weâre going to get president Trump or weâre going to destroy the trading system on which Brexit depends. The mood has changed.â
Labour campaigned in support of Remain in 2016 and there were chants of âWhereâs Jeremy Corbyn?â from the crowd.
The opposition leader is in Jordan visiting refugee camps and the party does not officially support a second referendum
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said he would prefer a general election to a second referendum if a Brexit deal cannot be agreed and approved before the UK leaves the EU.
Addressing the conference of the grassroots Open Labour group in London, the MP, whose Hayes and Harlington constituency in West London voted Leave, said he wanted to avoid a Ukip resurgence or a repeat of xenophobia that marred the 2016 vote.
Meanwhile, research by the Centre for European Reform (CER) think tank indicated Brexit had already made the UK economy 2.1% weaker than it would have been if voters had decided to stay in the EU.
The CER estimate is equivalent to a knock-on hit of ÂŁ23 billion a year to the public finances, some ÂŁ440 million a week.
CER deputy director John Springford said: âTwo years on from the referendum, we now know that the Brexit vote has seriously damaged the economy.â
Dr Fox told the BBC it is âessentialâ the EU âunderstands⌠and believesâ the Prime Ministerâs assertion that no deal would be better than a bad deal.
He said the threat had âadded credibility because if we were to leave, the economic impact on a number of European countries would be severeâ.
âI think our negotiating partners would not be wise if they believed that the Prime Minister was bluffing,â he said.
Speaking to the Daily Express, Mr Davis said that Britain was âable to leave without a dealâ.
âWe donât want to do that, never have. The best option is leaving with a good deal but youâve got to be able to walk away from the table,â he said.
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