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A petition signed by more than 1.7 million people has no chance of securing a second EU referendum, according to the nation's top elections expert.

Professor John Curtice, who produced the only general election exit poll to predict a Conservative victory, said the referendum would be unlikely to form a campaigning issue for some time - let alone spark another public vote.

Thursday's referendum saw 17.4 million votes cast to leave the EU, compared with 16.1 million for remaining part of the bloc, with a turnout of 72.2 per cent.

In response, more than 1.7 million people have signed an online petition calling for the Government to implement a rule that "if the Remain or Leave vote is less than 60% based on a turnout less than 75%, there should be another referendum".

Leave wins EU referendum - in pictures 23 show all Leave wins EU referendum - in pictures 1/23 David Cameron announces his resignation outside Number 10 Downing Street Stefan Wermuth/Reuters 2/23 David and Samantha Cameron outside Downing Street as the PM announces his decision to stand down Stefan Wermuth/Reuters 3/23 Boris Johnson leaves home following the stunning EU referendum result Lucy Young 4/23 A triumphant Nigel Farage near the Houses of Parliament Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images 5/23 Jeremy Corbyn MP, leader of the Labour Party, is followed by journalists as he walks towards the Houses of Parliament Rob Stothard/Getty Images 6/23 London Mayor Sadiq Khan speaks to the media after Britain voted for Brexit Matt Writle 7/23 Leave supporters cheer results at a Leave.eu party after polling stations closed in the Referendum on the European Union in London Toby Melville/Reuters 8/23 Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall Rob Stothard/PA 9/23 Vote LEAVE supporter Christine Forrester celebrates with others outside Vote Leave HQ Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images 10/23 Supporters of the Stronger In campaign look dejected as results come in Rob Stothard/AFP/Getty Images 11/23 The Houses of Parliament as dawn breaks on London after the vote Rob Stothard/Getty Images 12/23 Stronger in campaigners look dejected after the result 13/23 Leave supporters celebrate opposite the Houses of Parliament in London Anthony Devlin/PA 14/23 Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home this morning Rob Stothard/Getty Images 15/23 A man reacts to a vote count results screen at an 'Leave.EU Referendum Party' in London 16/23 Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at the Royal Festival Hall Rob Stothard/PA 17/23 UKIP Leader Nigel Farage at the Leave.EU party in London as he claimed victory Stefan Rousseau/PA 18/23 A London taxi driver holds a Union flag, as he celebrates following the result of the EU referendum Toby Melville 19/23 Traders react to the fast moving Euro results at ETX Capital in the City of London this morning Chris Gorman/Evening Standard 20/23 People gathered in The Churchill Tavern, a British themed bar, react as the BBC predicts Briatin will leave the European Union, in the Manhattan borough of New York Andrew Kelly/Reuters 21/23 Traders monitor computer screens with the day's exchange rate at a foreign exchange brokerage at a securities firm in Tokyo Eugene Hoshiko/AP 22/23 Conservative MP Nigel Evans (left) and UKIP's Paul Nuttall, members of the Vote Leave campaign, celebrate at Manchester Town Hall where the national result in the UK referendum will be declared later Peter Byrne/PA 23/23 Traders react to the fast moving Euro results at ETX Capital in the City of London this morning Chris Gorman/Evening Standard 1/23 David Cameron announces his resignation outside Number 10 Downing Street Stefan Wermuth/Reuters 2/23 David and Samantha Cameron outside Downing Street as the PM announces his decision to stand down Stefan Wermuth/Reuters 3/23 Boris Johnson leaves home following the stunning EU referendum result Lucy Young 4/23 A triumphant Nigel Farage near the Houses of Parliament Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images 5/23 Jeremy Corbyn MP, leader of the Labour Party, is followed by journalists as he walks towards the Houses of Parliament Rob Stothard/Getty Images 6/23 London Mayor Sadiq Khan speaks to the media after Britain voted for Brexit Matt Writle 7/23 Leave supporters cheer results at a Leave.eu party after polling stations closed in the Referendum on the European Union in London Toby Melville/Reuters 8/23 Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at London's Royal Festival Hall Rob Stothard/PA 9/23 Vote LEAVE supporter Christine Forrester celebrates with others outside Vote Leave HQ Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images 10/23 Supporters of the Stronger In campaign look dejected as results come in Rob Stothard/AFP/Getty Images 11/23 The Houses of Parliament as dawn breaks on London after the vote Rob Stothard/Getty Images 12/23 Stronger in campaigners look dejected after the result 13/23 Leave supporters celebrate opposite the Houses of Parliament in London Anthony Devlin/PA 14/23 Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn leaves his home this morning Rob Stothard/Getty Images 15/23 A man reacts to a vote count results screen at an 'Leave.EU Referendum Party' in London 16/23 Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at the Royal Festival Hall Rob Stothard/PA 17/23 UKIP Leader Nigel Farage at the Leave.EU party in London as he claimed victory Stefan Rousseau/PA 18/23 A London taxi driver holds a Union flag, as he celebrates following the result of the EU referendum Toby Melville 19/23 Traders react to the fast moving Euro results at ETX Capital in the City of London this morning Chris Gorman/Evening Standard 20/23 People gathered in The Churchill Tavern, a British themed bar, react as the BBC predicts Briatin will leave the European Union, in the Manhattan borough of New York Andrew Kelly/Reuters 21/23 Traders monitor computer screens with the day's exchange rate at a foreign exchange brokerage at a securities firm in Tokyo Eugene Hoshiko/AP 22/23 Conservative MP Nigel Evans (left) and UKIP's Paul Nuttall, members of the Vote Leave campaign, celebrate at Manchester Town Hall where the national result in the UK referendum will be declared later Peter Byrne/PA 23/23 Traders react to the fast moving Euro results at ETX Capital in the City of London this morning Chris Gorman/Evening Standard

Prof Curtice said: "How many people voted in favour of Leave? Seventeen million. One million is chicken feed by comparison.

"It's no good people signing the petition now, they should have done it before. Even then, these petitions don't always mean a great deal.

"It has passed the 100,000 mark for it to be debated in Parliament. All that means is that some MPs will say, 'It's a terrible shame', others will say, 'Hallelujah'. Then that's the end of it."

The clamour to add signatures to the Government website-hosted petition comes amid dissatisfaction from voters who wanted the country to remain part of the union, while anecdotes began to emerge from those who said they regretted voting to leave.

The poll resulted in David Cameron announcing his resignation as Prime Minister while the pound slumped to its weakest level for three decades.

David Cameron - a career in pictures 38 show all David Cameron - a career in pictures 1/38 JULY 2016: David Cameron speaking to the media outside 10 Downing Street, London, after Theresa May secured her place as the UK's second female prime minister through the surprise withdrawal of her only rival in the battle to succeed him Philip Toscano/PA 2/38 JULY 2016: Britain's outgoing Prime Minister, David Cameron, accompanied by his wife Samantha, daughters Nancy and Florence and son Arthur, prepare to pose for photographs in front of number 10 Downing Street, on his last day in office as Prime Minister Stefan Wermuth/Reuters 3/38 JUNE 2016: Prime Minister David Cameron walking out of 10 Downing Street, London, with wife Samantha where he announced his resignation after Britain voted to leave the European Union Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA 4/38 JUNE 2016: Prime Minister David Cameron (C) and Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn (R) arrive to pay their respects at the scene of the murder of Jo Cox, 41, Labour MP for Batley and Spen, who was shot and stabbed yesterday at her constituency surgery in Birstall, United Kingdom Christopher Furlong/Getty Images 5/38 JUNE 2016: British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha Cameron leave after voting in the EU Referendum at Central Methodist Hall, Wesminster Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 6/38 APRIL 2016: Prime Minister David Cameron joins students at the launch of the 'Brighter Future In' campaign bus at Exeter University Dan Kitwood - WPA Pool /Getty Images 7/38 DEC 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron meets soldiers working on flood relief in York city centre after the river Ouse burst its banks, on December in York Darren Staples - WPA Pool /Getty Images 8/38 NOV 2015: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and British Prime Minister David Cameron attend the annual Remembrance Sunday Service at the Cenotaph on Whitehall Carl Court/Getty Images 9/38 NOV 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photograph during their bilateral meeting on day two of the G20 Turkey Leaders Summit in Antalya, Turkey Chris McGrath/Getty Images 10/38 OCT 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron talks with Home Secretary Theresa May after greeting China's President, Xi Jinping, at an honour guard in London Carl Court/Getty Images 11/38 SEPT 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron meets Syrian refugee families at a tented settlement camp in the Bekaa Valley, on the Syrian border with Lebanon Stefan Rousseau - WPA Pool /Getty Images 12/38 AUG 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha relax on holiday in Alvor, Portugal Steve Parsons-Pool/Getty Images 13/38 MAY 2015: David Cameron hosting a cabinet meeting in Downing Street, London Dan Kitwood/PA 14/38 MAY 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron poses for a photo with the newly elected Conservative Party MPs in Palace Yard Stefan Rousseau - WPA Pool/Getty Images 15/38 MAY 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron speaks after winning his constituency declaration in Witney Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images 16/38 APRIL 2015: Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party David Cameron feeds orphaned lambs on Dean Lane farm near the village of Chadlington Leon Neal - WPA Pool/Getty Images 17/38 APRIL 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron speaks with Lilli Docherty and her daughter Dakota, as he has lunch with people who have benefited from tax and pension changes that come into force, in a garden near Poole Kirsty Wigglesworth - WPA Pool/Getty Images 18/38 APRIL 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron helping with a reading lesson at the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School in Westhoughton near Bolton where he met pupils, Lucy Howarth, six, and Will Spibey, five Stefan Rousseau/PA 19/38 JAN 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron, British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband attend a Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony at Central Hall Westminster Chris Jackson/WPA Pool/Getty Images 20/38 JANUARY 2015: World leaders and dignitaries, including (L-R) Taoiseach of Ireland Enda Kenny, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and British Prime Minister David Cameron attend a mass unity rally following the Paris terrorist attacks Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 21/38 MAY 2014: Boris Johnson and Prime Minister David Cameron Stefan Rousseau/PA 22/38 JULY 2013: British Prime Minister David Cameron and First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond celebrate during the Gentlemen's Singles Final match between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon Getty Images 23/38 FEBRUARY 2013: British Prime Minister David Cameron arrives to pay his respects at a memorial for police and uniformed personnel who lost their lives in the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai AFP/Getty Images 24/38 NOVEMBER 2012: Prime Minister David Cameron talking to US President Barack Obama on the telephone from his office in Downing Street Peter Macdiarmid/PA 25/38 AUG 2012: Prime Minister David Cameron stands with London Mayor Boris Johnson as the Olympic cauldron is lit for the Paralympic Games in Trafalgar Square Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images 26/38 MARCH 2012: U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and British Prime Minister David Cameron (R) eat a hot dog as they watch the first half at UD Arena as the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers take on the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils in the first round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament Gregory Shamus/Getty Images 27/38 MAY 2011: U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron play table tennis at Globe Academy in London Paul Hackett - WPA Pool/Getty Images 28/38 MAY 2010: Prime Minister David Cameron (right) with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg Christopher Furlong/PA 29/38 MAY 2010: Prime Minister David Cameron (middle left), leading his first cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London Andrew Winning/PA 30/38 MAY 2010: The Queen greeting David Cameron at Buckingham Palace for an audience to invite him to be the next Prime Minister John Stillwell/PA 31/38 MAY 2010: David Cameron and his wife Samantha meet Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell in the Cabinet Room of 10 Downing Street, London Stefan Rousseau/PA 32/38 DECEMBER 2009: Leader of the Conservative Party David Cameron takes part in the Great Brook Charity in Chadlington, Oxfordshire. Andrew Parsons/Conservative Party via Getty Images 33/38 APRIL 2008: Mayoral Conservative Party candidate Boris Johnson canvasses with Conservative Party leader David Cameron at a Conservative Party call centre Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images 34/38 February 2007: 'Hoodie' Ryan Florence gestures a pretend 'click-bang' shooting at Tory leader David Cameron as he tours the Benchill Estate in Manchester, England. 35/38 NOVEMBER 2006: Prime Minister Tony Blair talks to the leader of the Opposition David Cameron, prior to the traditional reading the State Opening of Parliament in London Alistair Grant/AFP/Getty Images 36/38 APRIL 2006: David Cameron driving a dog-sled on his way to the Scott-Turner glacier on the island of Svalbard Andrew Parsons/PA 37/38 FEBRUARY 2006: David Cameron and his wife, Samantha, standing outside their home in Notting Hill, west London, with their new born son, Arthur Elwen Andrew Parsons/PA 38/38 OCTOBER 2005: Conservative Leadership challenger David Cameron celebrates with supporters at his constituency office in Witney, Oxfordshire Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images 1/38 JULY 2016: David Cameron speaking to the media outside 10 Downing Street, London, after Theresa May secured her place as the UK's second female prime minister through the surprise withdrawal of her only rival in the battle to succeed him Philip Toscano/PA 2/38 JULY 2016: Britain's outgoing Prime Minister, David Cameron, accompanied by his wife Samantha, daughters Nancy and Florence and son Arthur, prepare to pose for photographs in front of number 10 Downing Street, on his last day in office as Prime Minister Stefan Wermuth/Reuters 3/38 JUNE 2016: Prime Minister David Cameron walking out of 10 Downing Street, London, with wife Samantha where he announced his resignation after Britain voted to leave the European Union Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA 4/38 JUNE 2016: Prime Minister David Cameron (C) and Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn (R) arrive to pay their respects at the scene of the murder of Jo Cox, 41, Labour MP for Batley and Spen, who was shot and stabbed yesterday at her constituency surgery in Birstall, United Kingdom Christopher Furlong/Getty Images 5/38 JUNE 2016: British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha Cameron leave after voting in the EU Referendum at Central Methodist Hall, Wesminster Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 6/38 APRIL 2016: Prime Minister David Cameron joins students at the launch of the 'Brighter Future In' campaign bus at Exeter University Dan Kitwood - WPA Pool /Getty Images 7/38 DEC 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron meets soldiers working on flood relief in York city centre after the river Ouse burst its banks, on December in York Darren Staples - WPA Pool /Getty Images 8/38 NOV 2015: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and British Prime Minister David Cameron attend the annual Remembrance Sunday Service at the Cenotaph on Whitehall Carl Court/Getty Images 9/38 NOV 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photograph during their bilateral meeting on day two of the G20 Turkey Leaders Summit in Antalya, Turkey Chris McGrath/Getty Images 10/38 OCT 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron talks with Home Secretary Theresa May after greeting China's President, Xi Jinping, at an honour guard in London Carl Court/Getty Images 11/38 SEPT 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron meets Syrian refugee families at a tented settlement camp in the Bekaa Valley, on the Syrian border with Lebanon Stefan Rousseau - WPA Pool /Getty Images 12/38 AUG 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha relax on holiday in Alvor, Portugal Steve Parsons-Pool/Getty Images 13/38 MAY 2015: David Cameron hosting a cabinet meeting in Downing Street, London Dan Kitwood/PA 14/38 MAY 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron poses for a photo with the newly elected Conservative Party MPs in Palace Yard Stefan Rousseau - WPA Pool/Getty Images 15/38 MAY 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron speaks after winning his constituency declaration in Witney Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images 16/38 APRIL 2015: Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party David Cameron feeds orphaned lambs on Dean Lane farm near the village of Chadlington Leon Neal - WPA Pool/Getty Images 17/38 APRIL 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron speaks with Lilli Docherty and her daughter Dakota, as he has lunch with people who have benefited from tax and pension changes that come into force, in a garden near Poole Kirsty Wigglesworth - WPA Pool/Getty Images 18/38 APRIL 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron helping with a reading lesson at the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School in Westhoughton near Bolton where he met pupils, Lucy Howarth, six, and Will Spibey, five Stefan Rousseau/PA 19/38 JAN 2015: Prime Minister David Cameron, British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband attend a Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony at Central Hall Westminster Chris Jackson/WPA Pool/Getty Images 20/38 JANUARY 2015: World leaders and dignitaries, including (L-R) Taoiseach of Ireland Enda Kenny, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and British Prime Minister David Cameron attend a mass unity rally following the Paris terrorist attacks Dan Kitwood/Getty Images 21/38 MAY 2014: Boris Johnson and Prime Minister David Cameron Stefan Rousseau/PA 22/38 JULY 2013: British Prime Minister David Cameron and First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond celebrate during the Gentlemen's Singles Final match between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon Getty Images 23/38 FEBRUARY 2013: British Prime Minister David Cameron arrives to pay his respects at a memorial for police and uniformed personnel who lost their lives in the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai AFP/Getty Images 24/38 NOVEMBER 2012: Prime Minister David Cameron talking to US President Barack Obama on the telephone from his office in Downing Street Peter Macdiarmid/PA 25/38 AUG 2012: Prime Minister David Cameron stands with London Mayor Boris Johnson as the Olympic cauldron is lit for the Paralympic Games in Trafalgar Square Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images 26/38 MARCH 2012: U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and British Prime Minister David Cameron (R) eat a hot dog as they watch the first half at UD Arena as the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers take on the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils in the first round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament Gregory Shamus/Getty Images 27/38 MAY 2011: U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron play table tennis at Globe Academy in London Paul Hackett - WPA Pool/Getty Images 28/38 MAY 2010: Prime Minister David Cameron (right) with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg Christopher Furlong/PA 29/38 MAY 2010: Prime Minister David Cameron (middle left), leading his first cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London Andrew Winning/PA 30/38 MAY 2010: The Queen greeting David Cameron at Buckingham Palace for an audience to invite him to be the next Prime Minister John Stillwell/PA 31/38 MAY 2010: David Cameron and his wife Samantha meet Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell in the Cabinet Room of 10 Downing Street, London Stefan Rousseau/PA 32/38 DECEMBER 2009: Leader of the Conservative Party David Cameron takes part in the Great Brook Charity in Chadlington, Oxfordshire. Andrew Parsons/Conservative Party via Getty Images 33/38 APRIL 2008: Mayoral Conservative Party candidate Boris Johnson canvasses with Conservative Party leader David Cameron at a Conservative Party call centre Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images 34/38 February 2007: 'Hoodie' Ryan Florence gestures a pretend 'click-bang' shooting at Tory leader David Cameron as he tours the Benchill Estate in Manchester, England. 35/38 NOVEMBER 2006: Prime Minister Tony Blair talks to the leader of the Opposition David Cameron, prior to the traditional reading the State Opening of Parliament in London Alistair Grant/AFP/Getty Images 36/38 APRIL 2006: David Cameron driving a dog-sled on his way to the Scott-Turner glacier on the island of Svalbard Andrew Parsons/PA 37/38 FEBRUARY 2006: David Cameron and his wife, Samantha, standing outside their home in Notting Hill, west London, with their new born son, Arthur Elwen Andrew Parsons/PA 38/38 OCTOBER 2005: Conservative Leadership challenger David Cameron celebrates with supporters at his constituency office in Witney, Oxfordshire Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Prof Curtice said: "Mainstream political parties have been divided on Europe. The parties' supporters have been divided. Nobody is going to want to campaign prominently on this."

The professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde added: "If Boris Johnson is running the Government and it (disengagement from the EU) is taking a long time to be implemented, two years down the line we could have another poll showing people actually want to reverse the decision and remain in.

"Then there could be a situation where the opposition party in a general election have a mandate to hold a new referendum on it."

More than 130,000 people have signed a separate petition on the Change.org website, calling on new London mayor Sadiq Khan to declare the capital independent from the UK and apply to join the European Union.