Lawyers sign up for People's Vote campaign

More than 1,400 members of the legal profession have signed a letter urging Prime Minister Theresa May and MPs to support the People's Vote campaign for a referendum on the terms of the Brexit agreement with the EU.

The signatories argue that "democratic government is not frozen in time", and that "voters are entitled to know what they are voting for".

The lawyers say that Parliament should not be bound by the referendum result any more than it should be by the 1975 vote in favour of staying in the Common Market, particularly when there are questions as to the validity of the 2016 poll.

They add: "There was a key difference between 1975 and 2016; the earlier referendum was held after negotiations were complete, so voters knew what they were voting for.

"In 2016, the negotiation process and its outcome were unknown. Voters had a choice between a known reality and an unknown alternative."

Signatories include Sir David Edward, a former judge of the European Court of Justice, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, and Konrad Schiemann, retired Lord Justice of Appeal.