--- description: A record number of people have signed an online petition urging the U.K. government to cancel Brexit at more than 4.18 million people. title: Over 4 Million People Sign Online Petition Imploring the U.K. Government to Cancel Brexit image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc9a9471c49d38a44/69894739b3fce327bd0c3597/record-people-sign-petition-stop-brexit.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [U.K.](/tag/u-k/) ## U.K. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Over 4 Million People Sign Online Petition Imploring the U.K. Government to Cancel Brexit by [Alex Morales and Jessica Shankleman / Bloomberg](/author/bloomberg/) ## Alex Morales and Jessica Shankleman / Bloomberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 12:17 AM CUTPublished: Mar 23, 2019 2:23 PM CUT  Anti-Brexit campaigners gather in Parliament Square, as they take part in the People's Vote March in London. On March 23, 2019 a record number of people signed an online petition urging the U.K. government to cancel Brexit at more than 4.18 million people. Anti-Brexit campaigners gather in Parliament Square, as they take part in the People's Vote March in London. On March 23, 2019 a record number of people signed an online petition urging the U.K. government to cancel Brexit at more than 4.18 million people.Yui Mok—PA Images/Getty Images by [Alex Morales and Jessica Shankleman / Bloomberg](/author/bloomberg/) ## Alex Morales and Jessica Shankleman / Bloomberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 12:17 AM CUTPublished: Mar 23, 2019 2:23 PM CUT More than 4.18 million people have signed an online petition urging the U.K. government to cancel Brexit, the most names collected in a public campaign. The record was reached just before midday Saturday, days after Parliament’s petitions website repeatedly crashed as the signatures piled up — fueled by endorsements from singer Annie Lennox, actor Hugh Grant, science broadcaster Brian Cox and comedian David Mitchell. “The rate of signing is the highest the site has ever had to deal with,” the House of Commons petitions committee said on Twitter as the petition went online. “Between 80,000 and 100,000 people have been simultaneously viewing the petition,” it said, “nearly 2,000 signatures are being completed every minute.” > [](https://twitter.com/HoCpetitions/status/1108711030736199686) > [](https://twitter.com/HoCpetitions/status/1108711303865139202) The previous record for an online petition was 4.15 million names in 2016 on a proposal to hold a second Brexit referendum, according to the Parliament website. The current petition drive passed 1 million shortly before 3 p.m. London time Thursday after the link to the petition went viral on social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter. It passed 2 million less than eight hours later. “The government repeatedly claims exiting the EU is ‘the will of the people,”’ the text of the petition says. “We need to put a stop to this claim by proving the strength of public support now, for remaining in the EU.” Any petition exceeding 100,000 signatures is eligible for debate by Parliament. It’s then up to a special Petitions Committee of rank-and-file lawmakers to decide whether one should be held. “I’ve signed. And it looks like every sane person in the country is signing too,” Grant wrote on Twitter. “National emergency. Revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU.” > [](https://twitter.com/HackedOffHugh/status/1108511401130237952) May’s office made clear that she has no intention of revoking Article 50 and keeping Britain in the EU. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5557509/record-people-sign-petition-stop-brexit/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5557509/record-people-sign-petition-stop-brexit/"},"headline":"Over 4 Million People Sign Online Petition Imploring the U.K. Government to Cancel Brexit","datePublished":"2019-03-23T14:23:09.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T00:17:21.000Z","description":"The record was reached just before midday Saturday","url":"https://time.com/5557509/record-people-sign-petition-stop-brexit/","keywords":["U.K.","United Kingdom","Brexit","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc9a9471c49d38a44/69894739b3fce327bd0c3597/record-people-sign-petition-stop-brexit.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alex Morales and Jessica Shankleman / Bloomberg"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc9a9471c49d38a44/69894739b3fce327bd0c3597/record-people-sign-petition-stop-brexit.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A record number of people have signed an online petition urging the U.K. government to cancel Brexit at more than 4.18 million people.","caption":"Anti-Brexit campaigners gather in Parliament Square, as they take part in the People's Vote March","creditText":"Yui Mok—PA Images/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/u-k/","name":"U.K."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5557509/record-people-sign-petition-stop-brexit/","name":"Over 4 Million People Sign Online Petition Imploring the U.K. Government to Cancel Brexit"}}]}] ```