Brexit: Sports and television stars to join activists in north of England demanding fresh referendum

Two former England footballers, an athletics world champion and a former soap star will be among speakers at a rally in the north of England to demand another Brexit referendum.

They will join more than 1000 activists in Leeds on Saturday to launch the People’s Vote North campaign to demand a Final Say vote.

Former England stars Peter Reid and John Barnes, athlete Steve Cram and retired rugby union player Garreth Carvell will all speak at the event, as will former Coronation Street actress Denise Welch, who is now a panellist on Loose Women.

The celebrities will be joined by MPs including Labour’s Hillary Benn, the chair of the Commons Brexit committee, and Sam Gyimah, the Tory former universities minister.

Campaigners said the launch was designed to dispel the myth that support for another referendum is concentrated mainly among people in southern cities and that another public poll would be against the wishes of voters in the north of England.

The event will be the first in a series of “Let Us Be Heard” demonstrations that will take place across the country throughout the summer.

Support for another referendum is expected to grow if a Brexiteer such as Boris Johnson is elected to succeed Theresa May as prime minister and pushes ahead with plans to take Britain out of the EU without an exit deal.

Mr Benn will speak at a People’s Vote event for the first time and is likely to point to government research, published by his committee, on the impact that a no-deal Brexit would have on northern regions.

According to the analysis, the northeast would be 16 per cent poorer if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the northwest would be 12 per cent worse off and Yorkshire and the Humber 7 per cent poorer.

Ahead of the event, Mr Benn said: “On Saturday, we will come together to send a message that it would be a democratic outrage for a new prime minister to try and impose a destructive no-deal Brexit on the people of the north and the rest of the UK without us having the chance to be heard through a final say referendum. Going back to the people is the right thing to do and the only way to break the deadlock.”

Ms Welch said: “I live in the north because I love the north. And of the many reasons I am worried about Brexit is the fear I have that the north will be hit hardest. I am not an expert on politics or economics, but I talk to people all the time and I know I am not alone in being worried about the future.

“I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone says it is undemocratic to ask people again. We didn’t have the facts. We didn’t have an honest debate. We now know so much more, and it is crazy not to check with people whether they still want to go ahead.”

The rally will take place after Labour edged towards fully supporting a Final Say vote following a stormy meeting of Jeremy Corbyn‘s top team.

Several shadow cabinet ministers, including John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, and Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, reportedly urged the Labour leader to take a clearer stance on another poll.

After the meeting, Mr Corbyn said: “I have already made the case, on the media and in Dublin, that it is now right to demand that any deal is put to a public vote. That is in line with our conference policy which agreed a public vote would be an option.”

He said he would discuss the issue with trade union leaders next week and then “set out our views to the public”.