A petition calling on the UK to cancel Brexit has crashed the House of Commons website after it received hundreds of thousands of signatures.
The petition has been signed by over one million UK citizens since it was uploaded and the website crashed several times this morning.
Parliament must consider debating all petitions that get over 100,000 signatures. The UK Government "responds" to all petitions that get more than 10,000.
Crash
The House of Commons Petitions Committee has apologised for the website issues, noting that the "rate of signing is the highest the site has ever had to deal with."
It said it had been forced to "make some changes to ensure the site remains stable and open for signatures and new petitions."
It said the issues were the result of "people reloading the front page to watch the signature count go up and people trying to sign petitions."
The rate of signing is the highest the site has ever had to deal with and we have had to make some changes to ensure the site remains stable and open for signatures and new petitions. Thanks for bearing with us.
— Petitions Committee (@HoCpetitions) March 21, 2019
Between 80,000 and 100,000 people have been viewing the petition at the same time all throughout the morning.
There have been nearly 2,000 new signatories every minute.
"Will of the people"
Margaret Anne Georgiadou, who initiated the petition said: "The government repeatedly claims exiting the EU is 'the will of the people.'"
"We need to put a stop to this claim by proving the strength of public support now, for remaining in the EU.
"A People's Vote may not happen - so vote now."
#Brexit extension? French veto? Newstalk's political correspondent @SeanDefoe looks at what's coming up in Brussels today: https://t.co/962RowhnCn pic.twitter.com/vT0fhzIVb4
— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) March 21, 2019
It comes as European leaders gather in Brussels to consider the UKs request for a short delay to the Brexit process.
She has asked EU leaders to agree to an extension of the Brexit process until June 30th to allow time to get the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement passed by Parliament.
Brexit
European Council President Donald Tusk has said a short extension would be possible but would be "conditional" on the withdrawal agreement receiving Parliamentary approval.
He said the proposed June 30th date "has merits" but also creates a "series of questions of legal and political nature."
"If the hope for a final success may seem frail - even illusory - and although Brexit fatigue is increasingly visible and justified, we cannot give up seeking until the very last moment a positive solution," he said.
He again ruled out reopening the withdrawal agreement, saying the EU had responded with "patience and goodwill" during negotiations.
Decisions
Later, the UK Prime Minister Theresa May launched a scathing attack on MPs, saying they had done "everything possible" to avoid making hard decisions on Brexit.
In an address at Downing Street, she said: "Of this I am absolutely sure - you the public have had enough.
"You're tired of the infighting; you're tired of the political games and arcane procedural rows; tired of MPs speaking about nothing else but Brexit."
Mrs May said a delay would give MPs a 'final choice' on what they want from Brexit.
Extension
The Taoiseach has said Ireland would be open to the possibility of an extension "if there was a purpose to it."
It's time now to cut them some slack, to cut the British government some slack when it comes to their request for an extension."
He is due to address the media in Brussels this morning.
