Over 1,500 lawyers in the UK have signed a letter, urging Theresa May to back a second Brexit referendum.

In a letter to the prime minister, the lawyers said that “democratic government is not frozen in time” and parliament should not be bound by the 2016 EU referendum.

Comparing the latest referendum to the one held in 1975, the letter said: “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 nature of the negotiation process and its outcome were unknown. Voters faced a choice between a known reality and an unknown alternative. In the campaign, untestable claims took the place of facts and reality.”

“The current state of the Brexit negotiations is worrying people throughout the UK and the legal profession is no exception to that,” said Jonathan Cooper, a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers.

“We represent people from across industry and society and we see every day the way the prospect of a catastrophic Brexit deal is already causing real harm.”

“This letter to the prime minister has been signed by over a thousand of my colleagues who are convinced that not only is a people’s vote the right thing to do, it is the most democratic thing to do as well,” he added.

The letter signed by over 1,500 lawyers comes after the prime minister received a similar letter that was signed by over 70 business leaders, which also called for a second referendum.

“The business community was promised that, if the country voted to leave, there would continue to be frictionless trade with the EU and the certainty about future relations that we need to invest for the long term,” the letter read.

“Despite the Prime Minister’s best efforts, the proposals being discussed by the government and the European Commission fall far short of this.”

“The uncertainty over the past two years has already led to a slump in investment.”

The chief executive of Waterstones and former Sainsbury’s (LON: SBRY) boss were among those who signed the letter addressed to May.