
More than half a million anti-Brexit campaigners gathered for a protest dubbed 'The People's Vote March' in central London today calling for a second referendum.

Organisers, who originally expected around 100,000 to attend, said 670,000 demonstrators marched from Park Lane to a rally in Parliament Square.

If true, today's demonstration would be the biggest since 2003 when an estimated one million people protested against the Iraq War in the streets of London.

About 150 buses ferried thousands of activists from across the country to the capital this afternoon while thousands dressed in royal blue clothing emblazoned with gold stars, brandishing signs which read 'bin Brexit now' and 'I want a say on Brexit'.

Thousands of anti-Brexit campaigners gathered to march in central London calling for a second referendum dubbed 'The People's Vote'

Organisers, who originally expected around 100,000 expected to attend, said 670,000 demonstrators marched the streets

If true, it would make the event the biggest demonstration since 2003 when activists marched through London in protest of the Iraq War

Aerial shots show thousands of campaigners gathering in central London filling the streets and parks as they began their march

About 150 buses ferried thousands of activists from across the country to the capital

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said Saturday's event was a 'march for the future' for young Britons, including those who were too young to vote in Britain's 2016 EU membership referendum, when those who favor leaving the bloc won by 52 percent to 48 percent.

The mayor, from the opposition Labour Party, has previously backed mounting calls for a fresh referendum so that the public can have a say on whether they accept Conservative Party Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal or choose to stay in the EU.

He said: 'What's clear is that the only options on the table now from the prime minister are a bad Brexit deal, or no deal whatsoever. That's a million miles away from what was promised two-and-a-half years ago.'

Leading speeches in Parliament Square, TV cook Delia Smith said people were not fully informed when they voted but now understood 'the dire consequences'.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan led the march alongside a group of youngsters after speaking at the rally

Mr Khan said Saturday's event was a 'march for the future' for young Britons, including those who were too young to vote in Britain's 2016 EU membership referendum

'When the vote first happened we weren't fully informed,' she said.

Organisers of the rally, People's Vote UK, posted to Twitter: 'Well over HALF A MILLION are marching on Parliament today, demanding a #PeoplesVote on the Brexit deal. Everybody needs to know this.'

The protesters were joined by other famous faces including comedian Eddie Izzard, who came dressed in a navy suit waving British and EU flags.

One group carried a large #PeoplesVoteMarch banner as they held signs and marched down the main roads of central London

Campaigners were joined by TV cook Delia Smith (left), comedian Eddie Izzard (right), London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Alistair Campbell

The march set off from Park Lane at midday and will end in a rally in Parliament Square, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and celebrity chef Delia Smith are among those due to speak at the event

Those demanding a second vote carried pink signs with the hashtag Peoples Vote March in bold white writing

Campaigners from across Britain joined the march as one protester from Wales and another from Exeter came out in support

Organisers expect the protest to be the biggest of its kind, with about 150 buses ferrying thousands of activists from across the country to the capital

He added: 'I can't think of anything more democratic, anything more British, than trusting the judgement of the British people.

Anti-Brexit celebrities and politicians including Conservative MP Anna Soubry, Labour's Chuka Umunna and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable gave speeches ahead of the march.

Addressing the cheering crows, Ms Soubry said: 'It is clear we are the many.'We are winning the argument, most importantly against those who voted leave.'

She added: 'We will take responsibly and sort of this mess.'

Former Dragon's Den star Deborah Meaden looked gleeful as she showed her support for the second referendum march

Addressing the cheering crowds, Tory MP Anna Soubry said: 'It is clear we are the many. 'We are winning the argument, most importantly against those who voted leave'

Outgoing Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable gave speeches ahead of the march, which organisers say attracted 670,000 protesters

Alistair Campbell joined Delia Smith and spoke at the event wearing a 'we demand a people's vote badge'

Labour MP Chuka Umunna said the scale of today's march sends a message to the Tory party as he slammed the 'Brexit elite'

In a video message of support, Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland, said: 'Let me say this loudly and clearly, if the issue comes before the House of Commons, SNP MPs will support a People's Vote which includes the option to remain in the EU.'

She added: 'The Tory government's handling of these negotiations has been chaotic, incompetent and shambolic.

'Having spent two years telling us that no deal was better than a bad deal, the Prime Minister is now preparing to pile pressure on MPs to vote for a bad or blindfold deal on the grounds that 'no deal' would be catastrophic.

'She is trying to scare the UK into the frying pan out of fear of the fire. It is a scandal and it should not be accepted.'

One eager supporter flashed his EU flag tattoo on his foreman as he held a matching sign and cap

A man dressed as Elvis cycles on a tricycle with European Union, Union Jack and Welsh flags during the march

Britons voted to leave the trade bloc by a narrow margin in the 2016 EU membership referendum and Prime Minister Theresa May has ruled out another public vote on the subject

Pro-remain campaigners came dressed in outfits covered in blue items of clothing covered in gold stars - mimicking the European Union flag

Voters disappointed with the Brexit hope made their views clear with signs which cited their 'disbelief'

Lord Of The Rings actor Andy Serkis attended the rally with his wife and son, and described it as 'one of the most, if not the most important march of a generation'.

Elsewhere, Crazy Rich Asians and Humans star Gemma Chan tweeted a snap of herself with a banner reading: 'Even Baldrick had a f****** plan'.

Other famous faces included TV presenter Richard Bacon, entrepreneur and Dragon's Den star Deborah Meaden, comedian Jenny Eclair and Holby City actors Catherine Russell and Hugh Quarshie.

James McGrory, one of the organisers of the march, said voters should have the chance to change their minds because the decision will impact their lives for generations.

'People think the Brexit negotiations are a total mess, they have no faith in the government to deliver the promises that were made, partly because they cannot be delivered,' he said.

Richard Bacon, who recently battled a near-fatal lung infection, also took to the stand to rally pro-remainers

Signs of support came in all shapes and sizes as one woman donned a felt beret covered in stars and pro-remain badges

Some protesters didn't hold back with their banners as they arrived holding 'Tory posh boy w***ers' and 'Brex-s***' signs

Stickers are seen attached to the Cabinet Office exterior door after an anti-Brexit march through central London

Placards are left outside the Cabinet Office after the People's Vote March took place in the capital

Scathing banners depicted Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nigel Farage as 'The Three Wrexiters'

At the march, demonstrators carried placards saying 'Brexit is pants', 'Time for an EU turn' and 'European and proud.'

Organisers said about 670,000 people took part in the march, which would make it the largest in Britain since a demonstration against the Iraq war in 2003.

The 'People's Vote' campaign, which includes several pro-EU groups, said they had stewards stationed at regular intervals to estimate the size of the crowd. The police did not provide an independent estimate of numbers participating.

Meanwhile, Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage joined Brexit supporters in Harrogate for this afternoon's Save Brexit rally at Harrogate Conference Centre.

Meanwhile former UKIP leader Nigel Farage greets a supporter in Harrogate before the start of this afternoon's Save Brexit rally at Harrogate Conference Centre

Surrounded by a series of Save Brexit placard's Farage spoke at the pro-Brexit rally

Ahead of the rally Farage enjoyed a pint of bitter and a cigarette at a local Weatherspoons pub

And a sizeable crowd waving EU flags and carrying anti-DUP placards converged outside Belfast city hall.

Even some of the dogs on the street bore the bloc's blue and gold symbol.

Cross-community Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said: 'We have the EU to thank for the longest period of peace and stability on the continent of Europe in history.

'The EU forced nations to compromise, forced people to come together on the big issues like climate change.

'It underpinned the peace. The EU spent money underpinning the peace right across Europe, from the fall of the Berlin Wall, which could have been chaotic, right through to the former Yugoslavia.

a sizeable crowd waving EU flags and carrying anti-DUP placards converged outside Belfast city hall. The crowd held a range of signs, including one proclaiming: 'We won't be DUP'ed' (pictured) in reference to the pro-Brexit Northern Irish party's partnership with Theresa May's Conservatives at Westminster

Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU by 56%. One placard hoisted aloft in the crowd said: '56% say protect Good Friday'. Pictured: A little boy holds a placard that reads: 'Gonna miss EU'

'Nowhere did it do that more so than right here.'

She said the Brexit debate was not about protecting the UK's union or creating a united Ireland, as it has been characterised by some on opposite sides of the issue.

Mrs Long said: 'This is about the people of this place coming together and saying, just like the EU, we value cooperation, we value immigration, we value working together in the best interests of everyone in this society.

'That is why we value the EU, it is not just a model of cooperation, it underpins the very cooperation that we need here.'

People fanned out around a stage in front of the city hall down the main shopping street, Donegall Place, to hear speeches focused on environmental, human rights, business and student concerns

A sign reading 'Border communities against Brexit' was pinned up on the gates of the Belfast city hall

Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU by 56%. One placard hoisted aloft in the crowd said: '56% say protect Good Friday.'

People fanned out around a stage in front of the city hall down the main shopping street, Donegall Place, to hear speeches focused on environmental, human rights, business and student concerns.

Residents of border communities who oppose Brexit were also present.

The crowd held a range of placards, including one proclaiming: 'We won't be DUP'ed' in reference to the pro-Brexit Northern Irish party's partnership with Theresa May's Conservatives at Westminster.

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin's apparent support for Brexit was referenced as a reason for Northern Ireland to reject it.

Pro-remain campaigners came dressed in outfits covered in blue items of clothing covered in gold stars - mimicking the European Union flag

Smiling campaigners proudly waved flags sporting blue wigs and clothing as they joined the march

Other slogans demanded a People's Vote, a second referendum, which another podium speaker, SDLP South Belfast Assembly member Claire Hanna, said Brexiteers should have nothing to fear from if they are so wedded to democracy.

She added: 'Nobody voted to be poorer.'

John Barry, a Queen's University professor associated with the Green Party in Northern Ireland, also attacked the Brexiteers.

He said: 'They are drunk on magical thinking around making England great again and continuing the border with science fiction technology and an exaggerated sense of their importance in the world and they show no signs of sobering up.'

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle O'Neill said Brexiteers had exhibited 'reckless disregard' for the people of Northern Ireland.

'They care nothing for jobs or for rights and are prepared to drive our economy over the cliff.'

It's one of four being held around the country organised by Leave Means Leave.

Britain is scheduled to leave the EU on March 29, but negotiations have been plagued by disagreements, particularly over the issue of the Republic of Ireland-Northern Ireland border, which will be the UK's only land frontier with the EU after Brexit

Britons voted to leave the trade bloc by a narrow margin in the 2016 EU membership referendum and Prime Minister Theresa May has ruled out another public vote on the subject.

Britain is scheduled to leave the EU on March 29, but negotiations have been plagued by disagreements, particularly over the issue of the Republic of Ireland-Northern Ireland border, which will be the UK's only land frontier with the EU after Brexit.

There are growing fears of a 'no-deal' exit, which could create chaos at the borders and in the economy.

Prime Minister Theresa May said at an inconclusive EU summit in Brussels this week that she would consider a longer post-Brexit transition period - one that could keep Britain aligned to EU rules and obligations for more than two years after its March departure.

Pro-Brexit politicians in Britain saw it as an attempt to bind the country to the bloc indefinitely.

'This week's fresh chaos and confusion over Brexit negotiations has exposed how even the best deal now available will be a bad one for Britain,' said Andrew Adonis, a Labour member of the House of Lords.

'Voters will neither forgive nor forget if (lawmakers) allow this miserable Brexit to proceed without people being given the final say.'

Simon Chater is part of the Devon for Europe group, which arranged eight coaches to bring campaigners to London for the event.

A mother and daughter attempted to add humour to the day holding signs that said 'my mum' with an arrow and 'pulling out doesn't work'

There were a diverse array on of signs which were displayed at the march, one read: 'Save us from a Dog's Brexit'

A scathing banner read 'don't be fooled by Jacob Rees-Mogg! Liar, Hypocrite, Coward'

The 69-year-old from South Devon said: 'This is the first time in my life I've been political.'

He said 400 people had travelled in coaches arranged by the group, with some leaving Devon at 6am.

Campaigners have begun the march to Parliament Square, led by a group of young voters calling for a second referendum.

Emma Stevens and Emily Longman are two of the students leading the march behind a People's Vote banner.

Campaigners hung banners over Westminster bridge which branded the message 'Stop Tory Brexit' as other members of the protest held pickets that said 'Stop Brexit'

Miss Longman, 20, said she was four months too young to vote in the referendum.

She said: 'We're both Spanish students due to study abroad next year, but no one knows what will happen with Erasmus funding.'

Miss Stevens, also 20, said: 'We don't want the other European countries to hold the same view [of leaving the EU].'

Prime Minister Theresa May said at an inconclusive EU summit in Brussels this week that she would consider a longer post-Brexit transition period - one that could keep Britain aligned to EU rules and obligations for more than two years after its March departure

A young boy sat on a man's shoulders waving an EU flag among a sea of protesters in central London

The crowds were littered with homemade signs which said 'let us vote again!' and 'people's vote'

The event attracted thousands of protesters who had travelled from around the nation for the event

A woman dressed in a police officer's costume stood alongside an Irishman wearing a 'Irish 4 Europe' T-shirt

The sun shone done on the crowds as they waved flags and held banners in protest

One creative campaigner carried a Rick Astley themed placard which featured a drawing of Astley and punny 'never gonna give EU up' lyrics

A tightly-packed crowd stood in the streets to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU

Handmade signs were raised in the air alongside printed versions from the official People's Vote campaign

A protester holds a Union flag with slogans including 'Democracy', 'Rule of Law', 'Liberty', 'Tolerance' and 'Fish 'n' Chips' during the People's Vote March

The placards were branded with desperate pleas to stay in the EU with messages such as 'lets stay together'