'We've had our say, now respect it' '“ Sunderland shoppers react to Brexit court defeat for government

That was the overriding message delivered by Sunderland shoppers the Echo spoke to after a landmark ruling meant Brexit could not be triggered without a parliamentary vote by MPs.

Two top High Court judges ruled against the government, meaning Prime Minister Theresa May alone can not trigger Article 50.

In Sunderland, 61.3% of voters opted to leave the European Union in June’s referendum, compared to 51.89% nationally.

Many of those the Echo spoke to argued that democracy should be respected, and that if MPs are asked to vote on the matter, they should side with the majority of their constituents.

Hazel Oliver, of Silksworth, said: “The vote has been done and it shouldn’t happen again.

“It doesn’t matter what we say, though, because they’ll go ahead and do what they want.

“In my opinion, it’s absolutely ludicrous.

“They always just want their way, but we have all had our say and they should listen to that.”

Pauline Fairweather, of Tunstall, Sunderland, called on her MP Julie Elliott to also help uphold the Brexit vote.

She said: “We’ve voted for it, and as far as I’m concerned, that should be it.

“I voted to leave, because I think it will prove to be a really good thing eventually.

“We might go through a bit of a rough patch for a while, but it will be beneficial in the long-term.

“I’d urge my MP to go with what the public has said. The majority voted to leave and that should be respected.”

Brian Jackson, of Boldon, said: “They seem to be trying to have another bite of the cherry.

“I don’t think it’s fair, because the country has already voted.

“What is their gripe?”

Others, though, were happy with the news, arguing that a mistake had been made by voting for Brexit and that this was an opportunity for that to be overturned.

Jamie Appleton, 25, from Sunderland, said: “I think it’s cracking news.

“In my opinion, many of the people who voted for Brexit didn’t really know what they were voting for.

“They have been trying to shoo it in the back door, but at least this way it will be debated in parliament.

“During the public debate, there was so much misinformation.”

Harry Davenport, 21, from Bristol, is doing a dissertation based around the Brexit vote in Sunderland at Bristol University, and was visiting his girlfriend in the North East.

He said he followed his heart rather than his head in voting for Brexit, but stands by that decision.

He said: “I don’t think the vote of MPs will happen.

“If they try to over-rule it, the MPs will be risking losing their seats, and it would undermine the whole idea of democracy.

“It was supposed to be a vote for the people.

“What’s the point in having a vote if the result isn’t accepted?”