Brexit: Government will ignore MPs’ wishes if they vote for second referendum

People's Vote campaigner. Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA. - Credit: PA Wire/PA Images

A minister has claimed the government will ignore any vote for a second referendum if it pushes ahead with plans for a confirmatory vote on Saturday.

MPs are hoping to revive the Kyle amendment to attach to a confirmatory vote on any Brexit deal Boris Johnson brings back from Brussels to allow the public to decide the best option for Britain’s future.

But according to the i, a senior minister has claimed: “It would not have any legal standing if it went through.”

They said: “Zealots who are pushing for a second referendum are not interested in defending democracy. They are seeking to overturn it.”

Downing Street has also refused to say whether it would honour any vote for a second referendum if it received the support of MPs in the House of Commons.

There are fears that the government could effectively veto a second referendum by refusing to allocate the funds required to hold another vote.

Johnson said earlier this week: “If there could be one thing more divisive, more toxic than the first referendum, it would be a second referendum. Let’s get Brexit done.”

Campaigners are set to march for a People’s Vote on Saturday, at what is expected to be the largest rally yet.