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The Government has rejected a petition calling for Brexit to be stopped, which has gathered more than 5.75 million signatures.

The petition is due to be debated by MPs on April 1, after smashing the 100,000 threshold for consideration and becoming the best-supported proposal in the history of the House of Commons and Government's e-petitions website.

Rejecting the oft-repeated claim that EU withdrawal is the "will of the people", it calls for the revocation of the Article 50 letter informing the European Council of the UK's intention to leave.

But in its official response to the petition, the Department for Exiting the EU said: "It remains the Government's firm policy not to revoke Article 50. We will honour the outcome of the 2016 referendum and work to deliver an exit which benefits everyone, whether they voted to Leave or to Remain."

Their statement said: "Revoking Article 50, and thereby remaining in the European Union, would undermine both our democracy and the trust that millions of voters have placed in Government.

"The Government acknowledges the considerable number of people who have signed this petition. However, close to three-quarters of the electorate took part in the 2016 referendum, trusting that the result would be respected.

"Revoking Article 50 would break the promises made by Government to the British people, disrespect the clear instruction from a democratic vote, and in turn, reduce confidence in our democracy."

The Commons Petitions Committee earlier announced that the petition - which passed 5.8 million signatures on Tuesday evening - would be debated in Westminster Hall on April 1.

Backed by dozens of high profile celebrities, the petition gained support in the wake of Theresa May's speech on Wednesday night, even crashing the Parliament website several times.

On Monday, MPs will also debate petitions calling for a second EU referendum, which has received more than 120,000 signatures, and another - signed by more than 140,000 - demanding that the UK leave with or without a deal on March 29.

The news comes after an estimated one million people took to the streets of London for the Put it to the People march on Saturday, calling for a people’s vote on Brexit.

London People's Vote march: In Pictures 38 show all London People's Vote march: In Pictures 1/38 EPA 2/38 An EU supporter with her face painted REUTERS 3/38 PA 4/38 AFP/Getty Images 5/38 REUTERS 6/38 EPA 7/38 A demonstrator carries a dog on his shoulders AP 8/38 An EU supporter carries a child on his shoulders, calling on the government to give Britons a vote on the final Brexit deal REUTERS 9/38 PA 10/38 REUTERS 11/38 EU supporters dressed in costumes REUTERS 12/38 EPA 13/38 Sir Vince Cable in attendance PA 14/38 A demonstrator holds a holds a poster AP 15/38 EPA 16/38 An EU supporter with the EU flag painted on her face, REUTERS 17/38 Getty Images 18/38 A demonstrator leads a dog wearing a suit in the EU colors during a Peoples Vote AP 19/38 An EU supporter takes a selfie with a sticker on his nose REUTERS 20/38 Demonstrators pull a cart with a doll AP 21/38 Katie Walton 22/38 Placards stand against a wall Getty Images 23/38 Anti-Brexit campaigners before they take part in the People's Vote March PA 24/38 Katie Walton 25/38 Getty Images 26/38 Getty Images 27/38 A demonstrator and her dog wait for the start of a Peoples Vote anti-Brexit march in London AP 28/38 REUTERS 29/38 Demonstrators on their way from London Victoria Jacob Jarvis 30/38 Independent Group MPs Chuka Umunna and Anna Soubry have a selfie taken with Tracey Ullman PA 31/38 REUTERS 32/38 The march took place in central London REUTERS 33/38 An anti-Brexit banner is unfurled from Westminster PA 34/38 A demonstrator holds a dog on a leash as people start gathering for a Peoples Vote anti-Brexit march in London AP 35/38 Anti-Brexit campaigners in Park Lane PA 36/38 Demonstrators carry posters during a Peoples Vote AP 37/38 nti-Brexit badges are seen Getty Images 38/38 Getty Images

The woman who started the petition also revealed over the weekend that she has received three death threats over the phone and “torrents of abuse” on social media.

Margaret Georgiadou, 77, started the anti-Brexit petition in February, but has now been left scared after being threatened.

The retired lecturer said: “In the past 10 hours have had three death threats over the phone, my FB account has been hacked and had a torrent of abuse on Facebook. Am closing my FB account.

“Who wants Brexit so much that they are prepared to kill for it?”

Since the petition was launched, celebrities and MPs have tweeted their support for Parliament to revoke the Treaty of Lisbon clause that deals with leaving the EU.

Famous figures including actors Hugh Grant and Jennifer Saunders, TV presenter and author Caitlin Moran, physicist Brian Cox and former Labour press chief Alastair Campbell all urged their followers on social media to sign the petition.

Alongside the link, Grant wrote: "I've signed. And it looks like every sane person in the country is signing too. National emergency."

However, Mrs May last week ruled out halting the Brexit process, saying: “I do not believe that we should be revoking Article 50.”

She told reporters in Brussels on Thursday: “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.”

When asked for Mrs May's view on the petition, a No 10 spokeswoman said the Prime Minister worried failing to deliver Brexit would cause "potentially irreparable damage to public trust".

She said: "The Prime Minister has long been clear that failing to deliver on the referendum result would be a failure of our democracy and something she couldn't countenance.

"The Prime Minister has said many times she will not countenance revoking Article 50."