‘I believe it’s our duty as a Government and as a Parliament to deliver on that vote,’ said Theresa May.
Theresa May has ruled out cancelling the Brexit countdown despite a public petition soaring past two million signatures.
The Prime Minister said she did not believe in halting the deadline after the EU offered a delay plan, adding: “I do not believe that we should be revoking Article 50.”
With the highest sign-up rate on record, more than 2,000,000 people had pledged their support by the time she fielded questions from reporters in Brussels on Thursday.
Asked by the Press Association whether she thought the public’s view had shifted towards revoking Article 50, Mrs May said: “If you look back to what happened in the referendum, we saw the biggest democratic exercise in our history.
“And there was a clear result that we should leave the European Union.
“We said here’s the vote, what is your decision, and we will deliver on it.
“And I believe it’s our duty as a Government and as a Parliament to deliver on that vote.”
The petition on the Parliament website quickly gained support in the wake of the Prime Minister’s speech on Wednesday night and Revoke Article 50 started to trend on Twitter.
As of 6am on Friday, nearly 2.3 million people had pledged their support to the cause.
Data from the petitions website shows support for the petition concentrated in London and constituencies around Cambridge, Brighton, Bristol, Oxford and Edinburgh.
In the 2016 referendum, these six cities were also in favour of Remain.
During her Downing Street statement, Mrs May controversially blamed MPs for failing to stick to the result of the 2016 vote and told the public: “I am on your side.”
The Petitions Committee said nearly 2,000 signatures were being completed every minute over Thursday lunchtime, crashing the website because of the unprecedented hit-rate.
It quickly passed the 100,000-signature threshold needed for it to be debated in Parliament.
On Thursday, EU leaders said Brexit could be delayed from March 29 to May 22 – but only on the condition that MPs vote for Mrs May’s deal next week.
If it is rejected in the third “meaningful vote” then the UK would have until April 12 to tell the European Council a way forward.
An extension could continue for several more months if Britain agreed to vote in May’s European Parliament elections.
A House of Commons spokesman said: “We know that the petitions website has been experiencing problems due to the number of people using the site.
“This is a mixture of people signing petitions and refreshing the site to see changes to the number of signatures.
“The majority of people are now able to use the website and we and the Government Digital Service are working to fix any outstanding problems as soon as possible.”
MADRID (AP) — British and Spanish foreign ministers said a new round of talks held Friday over the status of the disputed territory of Gibraltar following Britain’s exit from the European Union were productive and significant progress was made.
The meeting was between Spain's José Manuel Albares, Britain’s David Cameron and European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic in Brussels. Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo also attended. It was the first time representatives from the four areas had come together for talks on the issue.
In a statement after the meeting, the parties said "discussions took place in a constructive atmosphere, with significant progress achieved.
“General political lines have been agreed (on), including on airport, goods and mobility. Negotiations will continue over the coming weeks to conclude the EU-UK Agreement,” it added.
All sides are eager to clinch a deal before European elections in June.
Britain left the European Union in 2020 with the relationship between Gibraltar and the bloc unresolved. Talks on a deal to ensure people and goods can keep flowing over the Gibraltar-Spain border have made halting progress in the 19 rounds of negotiations so far, but both Spanish and U.K. officials have recently expressed optimism about a deal.
In Britain’s 2016 Brexit referendum, 96% of voters in Gibraltar supported remaining in the EU. The tiny territory on Spain's southern tip depends greatly on access to the EU market for its 34,000 inhabitants.
Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713, but Spain has maintained its sovereignty claim ever since. Relations concerning the Rock, as it is popularly referred to in English, have had their ups and downs over the centuries.
A major sticking point has been who controls Gibraltar’s airport, which under the proposed free-movement deal would be an external border of the EU. The U.K. and Gibraltar have resisted Spain’s insistence that Spanish border officials be based at the airport, which is also home to a Royal Air Force base.
The British Foreign Office said Thursday that while it did not expect a final agreement Friday, "getting senior political figures from the UK, European Commission, Spain and Gibraltar in one room is significant.”
Associated Press writer Jill Lawless reported from London.
Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo speaks with the media outside EU headquarters in Brussels, Friday, April 12, 2024. British and Spanish foreign ministers are scheduled to meet Friday with a top European Commission official for another round of negotiations over the status of the disputed territory of Gibraltar following Britain's exit from the European Union. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo stands outside EU headquarters in Brussels, Friday, April 12, 2024. British and Spanish foreign ministers are scheduled to meet Friday with a top European Commission official for another round of negotiations over the status of the disputed territory of Gibraltar following Britain's exit from the European Union. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo speaks with the media outside EU headquarters in Brussels, Friday, April 12, 2024. British and Spanish foreign ministers are scheduled to meet Friday with a top European Commission official for another round of negotiations over the status of the disputed territory of Gibraltar following Britain's exit from the European Union. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, center, walks with his delegation outside EU headquarters in Brussels, Friday, April 12, 2024. British and Spanish foreign ministers are scheduled to meet Friday with a top European Commission official for another round of negotiations over the status of the disputed territory of Gibraltar following Britain's exit from the European Union. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo speaks with the media outside EU headquarters in Brussels, Friday, April 12, 2024. British and Spanish foreign ministers are scheduled to meet Friday with a top European Commission official for another round of negotiations over the status of the disputed territory of Gibraltar following Britain's exit from the European Union. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares Bueno speaks with the media outside EU headquarters in Brussels, Friday, April 12, 2024. British and Spanish foreign ministers are scheduled to meet Friday with a top European Commission official for another round of negotiations over the status of the disputed territory of Gibraltar following Britain's exit from the European Union. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, right, walks outside EU headquarters in Brussels, Friday, April 12, 2024. British and Spanish foreign ministers are scheduled to meet Friday with a top European Commission official for another round of negotiations over the status of the disputed territory of Gibraltar following Britain's exit from the European Union. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares Bueno speaks with the media outside EU headquarters in Brussels, Friday, April 12, 2024. British and Spanish foreign ministers are scheduled to meet Friday with a top European Commission official for another round of negotiations over the status of the disputed territory of Gibraltar following Britain's exit from the European Union. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares Bueno speaks with the media outside EU headquarters in Brussels, Friday, April 12, 2024. British and Spanish foreign ministers are scheduled to meet Friday with a top European Commission official for another round of negotiations over the status of the disputed territory of Gibraltar following Britain's exit from the European Union. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares Bueno speaks with the media outside EU headquarters in Brussels, Friday, April 12, 2024. British and Spanish foreign ministers are scheduled to meet Friday with a top European Commission official for another round of negotiations over the status of the disputed territory of Gibraltar following Britain's exit from the European Union. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
FILE - Aerial view of Gibraltar rock taken from the neighbouring Spanish city of La Linea, on Oct. 17, 2019. British and Spanish foreign ministers are to meet in Brussels on Friday April 12, 2024 in a bid to take a giant leap forward on talks over the status of the disputed territory of Gibraltar following Britain's exit from the European Union. All sides are eager to clinch a deal before European elections in June which could set the clock back. Britain left the European Union in 2020 with the relationship between Gibraltar and the bloc unresolved. (AP Photo/Javier Fergo, File)
FILE - People walk past a Brexit information office at the British territory of Gibraltar, on Jan. 31, 2020. British and Spanish foreign ministers are to meet in Brussels on Friday April 12, 2024 in a bid to take a giant leap forward on talks over the status of the disputed territory of Gibraltar following Britain's exit from the European Union. All sides are eager to clinch a deal before European elections in June which could set the clock back. Britain left the European Union in 2020 with the relationship between Gibraltar and the bloc unresolved. (AP Photo/Javier Fergo, File)
