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Turkey's bid to join the EU should be halted because it has "violated basic rights" of its citizens, the European Parliament said by a landslide today.

MEPs voted 497-37 for a temporary block after condemning the regime's "disproportionate", "regressive" reaction to July's attempted coup.

The vote was not binding and is unlikely to be adopted by EU governments, Reuters reported.

However, it was intended as a powerful symbol to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

It also throws into relief controversial posters by the official Brexit campaign that said: "Turkey (population 76million) is joining the EU".

David Cameron criticised the claim at the time, saying: "They applied in 1987. At the current rate of progress they will probably get round to joining in about the year 3000."

In their motion, the MEPs criticised Turkey's crackdown on anti-government voices in the wake of July's failed coup.

They said re-introducing the death penalty, a move that has been discussed, would lead to Turkey's accession bid being formally halted.

They added: "Turkey is an important partner of the EU.

"But in partnerships, the will to cooperate has to be two-sided.

"Turkey is not showing this political will as the government’s actions are further diverting Turkey from its European path".

(Image: Getty)

A temporary halt would mean no new "chapters" in the negotiating process being opened, a European Parliament spokesman said.

Turkey's EU affairs minister hit back, saying the vote "violates" EU values and as far as Turkey was concerned it was "null and void".

Omer Celik added on Twitter: "We respect the values on which EU is founded.

"Yet the ones who did not stand by us on 16 July to defend democracy cannot preach Turkey."