Brit govt rejects petition for second EU referendum

London: The British Government on Saturday rejected a call for a second referendum on European Union membership in a petition that was signed by more than 4.1 million people following the Brexit vote.

It was the most-signed government petition since the process was introduced in 2011, the Independent reported.

However in an official reply, the Foreign Office said 33 million people had had their say and "the decision must be respected".

"We must now prepare for the process to exit the EU," the news report quoted the Foreign Office as saying.

The petition had called for the government to annul the results if the Remain or Leave vote won by less than 60 per cent on a turnout of less than 75 per cent.

The Foreign Office said: "The Act was scrutinised and debated in Parliament during its passage and agreed by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords... The Act did not set a threshold for the result or for minimum turnout."