The Tory hopefuls have made a no-deal Brexit very real – a new Final Say march will remind them of their duty

The only way to unlock the political impasse is to let the people be heard

In March I had the honour of addressing a million-strong march of people demanding a Final Say on Brexit. Since then the country has been granted an extension to solve the current crisis.

Rather than use that time wisely, as we were urged, we have witnessed weeks of no-deal threats from people who hope to take on the great office of prime minister and who should know better than to play fast and loose with the futures of young people, British businesses and the integrity of the UK itself.

The people did not vote for no deal. Quite the opposite: leaving the EU was sold on the basis that we would get a comprehensive deal. There is no mandate for it, and no majority either in parliament or the country.

It is genuinely shocking that candidates in the contest to be the new prime minister are ready to contemplate inflicting this car-crash Brexit on the public without the people getting the chance to be heard.

But our democracy is beginning to stir itself. Whether you want Brexit to go ahead or would prefer to stay in, the only way to unlock the political impasse, secure a stable majority in parliament and legitimise the outcome is to let the people be heard.

That is why over the summer and into the autumn, ahead of the crunch decisions on Brexit that will decide all our futures, the People’s Vote campaign will be holding more than a dozen rallies in every corner of the UK to give voice to all of us who do not want a destructive Brexit forced on us. And it is why on Saturday 12 October people across this country will descend on London for the biggest march of our lives.

As president of the European Movement I will be urging members and activists across the UK to rise up and join in this summer of campaigning across the country.

Nigel Farage has tried to grab the British values of patriotism and democracy. Our mass movement will counter this – he does not speak for the people of Britain. By joining together across the UK, we will show these values in action as we demand our voice be heard at this crucial moment.

This crisis cannot be settled by a deadlocked parliament or a prime minister elected by a tiny, unrepresentative fraction of the electorate. It can only be settled by us, the people. It’s time for us to be heard.