Stop Brexit Petition Becomes The Fastest Growing Petition Ever

21 March 2019, 14:05 | Updated: 24 March 2019, 14:42

Revoke Article 50 petition reaches its 5 millionth signature
Revoke Article 50 petition reaches its 5 millionth signature. Picture: Petitions Committee

A petition asking the government to revoke article 50 and stop Brexit has become the fastest-growing petition ever, and has reached 5 million signatures.

Entitled "Revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU", the petition reached its 5 millionth signature just days after it was launched.

It reads: "The government repeatedly claims exiting the EU is 'the will of the people'. We need to put a stop to this claim by proving the strength of public support now, for remaining in the EU.

"A People's Vote may not happen - so vote now."

So many people went to sign the petition when it launched - almost 2,000 people every minute - that it crashed the entire website.

The Petitions Committee have been forced to remove the section on their homepage that shows how many people have signed the petition.

They wrote: "The rate of signing is the highest the site has ever had to deal with and we have had to make some changes to ensure the site remains stable and open for signatures and new petitions."

The petition was started by Margaret Anne Georgiadou, a Remainer, who wanted to show the support in the UK for staying in the European Union.

Signatures are coming mainly from the London area
Signatures are coming mainly from the London area. Picture: Petitions Committee

The above map shows that the signatures are coming very much from London, while it is relatively light around the rest of the country.

Compare that to the map below, showing where votes came from for the petition urging the UK to leave without a deal.

Signatures for the no-deal petition were from all over England
Signatures for the no-deal petition were from all over England. Picture: Petitions Committee