Anti-Brexit protesters have started to flood on to the streets of London for a mammoth demonstration to coincide with Parliament’s crunch vote on Boris Johnson’s withdrawal deal.
Supporters of the so-called People’s Vote campaign group are gathering at Park Lane before marching on the Palace of Westminster for a mass rally.
Politicians, celebrities and even the stalwart eco-warrior known as Mr Broccoli are set to join the thousands of Remainers.
An effigy of a puppet Prime Minister being controlled by his hardline Brexiteer adviser Dominic Cummings was wheeled down Whitehall this morning by activists wearing EU flag berets.
And the hardline protesters plastered ‘Love EU’ stickers across a glass sculpture of the Queen in Hyde Park.
The rally was organised by the pro-EU group as a last-gasp effort to persuade MPs to vote against Mr Johnson’s deal and instead swing behind a second referendum.
Brexiteers were also out in force for a counter-protest, but their numbers were dwarfed by hoardes of Remainers.
The Metropolitan Police were braced for a large-scale demonstration and deployed officers on to the streets of the capital.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan was one of the first politicians pictured at today’s event and will be joined by shadow chancellor John McDonnell – a late convert to their cause – who will address the crowds outside Parliament this afternoon.
An effigy of a puppet Prime Minister being controlled by his hardline Brexiteer adviser Dominic Cummings was led down Whitehall this morning by activists wearing EU flag berets
Politicians, celebrities and even the stalwart eco-warrior known as Mr Broccoli (pictured) are set to join the thousands of Europhiles which are expected to turn out in their thousands
Aerial shots lay bare the enormous mass of Remain demonstrators who have flooded on to the streets for the anti-Brexit protest
Scottish Pro remain protesters gather in Hyde Park to march to Parliament to demand for a People’s Vote and a final say
EU supporters, calling on the government to give Britons a vote on the final Brexit deal, put ‘love EU’ stickers One Million Queen sculpture
The rally was organised by the pro-EU group as a last-gasp effort to persuade MPs to vote against Mr Johnson’s deal and instead swing behind a second referendum
A Liberal Democrat supporter holds a placard during the People’s Vote march in London today which is expected to attract thousands
As of Saturday morning, more than £500,000 has been donated to support the protest, and cross-party politicians are calling on people to get involved.
Claiming to be the only way to ‘save the country’, the People’s Vote campaign claims that 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’.
Mr Khan wrote in The Independent on Friday: ‘I’ll be joining hundreds of thousands of people in London to make sure our message is heard loud and clear over the jeers and sneers in the House of Commons.’
Liberal Democrat MP Luciana Berger also told voters to ‘let the Prime Minister know what you think’.
People’s Vote organisers are also asking people to sign a letter to Boris Johnson, EU leaders, MPs, and MEPs, asking them to allow ‘the chance to check whether we want to proceed with Brexit’.
In an email to supporters this morning, Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said the letter ‘asks them to honour our shared democratic values, it asks them not to turn away from us now and deny us the chance for a final say.
‘Add your name to the letter now and send a message to the powerful.’
Remain activists draped in EU flags gather at Park Lane ahead of the march on Parliament to persuade MPs to thwart Mr Johnson’s deal
Banner-waving EU campaigners appeared in buoyant spirits as they flocked onto the streets for the People’s Vote march
Brexiteers were also out in force for a counter-protest, but their numbers were dwarfed by the thousands expected to turn out for the People’s Vote march
Pro-EU campaigners waved placards demanding a second referendum is put before the British people ahead of Brexit
Stop Brexit campaigner Steve Bray was preparing for the second referendum march as MPs arrived for the Saturday sitting in the House of Commons.
The 50-year-old from Port Talbot, South Wales, has been protesting outside Parliament every day that it has been sitting for the past 25 months.
A pro-Brexit protester with a loud speaker approached later approached him shouting ‘Traitor!’ But Mr Bray said protesting against Brexit is his passion.
He said: ‘We scraped the bottom of the barrel with this Prime Minister.’ Meanwhile, Brexit supporters are due to take to the streets in Manchester on Saturday.
The ‘march for democracy” will take place near Manchester Cathedral, organised by Leavers of Greater Manchester.