A SENIOR SNP MP accused Brexit supporters of running the "most deceitful and mendacious" political campaign in the UK's history" at a pro-EU rally in Edinburgh.

SNP MP Tommy Sheppard issued the blistering attack at the protest in the Scottish capital yesterday.

The rally was one of a number of events held in cities across the UK aimed at halting the UK Government's Brexit plans.

Organised by the Young European Movement and the European Movement in Scotland, speakers included politicians from SNP, Labour and the Lib Dems.

The crowd – many waving EU flags and holding Exit from Brexit signs – also heard from migrants living in Scotland.

Addressing the protest outside Edinburgh City Chambers, Sheppard said that in last year's referendum Leave ran "the most deceitful and mendacious campaign in British political history".

He said many had now changed their minds, adding: "We are the voice, not just for the 48 per cent of the UK (who voted against Brexit), we are probably now the voice for the majority that is saying think again, don't go over this particular cliff."

Labour MP Ian Murray delivered a speech against a hard Brexit and insisted the UK must remain in the single market.

Murray said: "The economic consequences of what this Government are about to embark on are disastrous for this country, and actually pretty disastrous for our European neighbours as well.

"The only way we can stop that from happening is to stay with the customs union and the single market."

Rallies by EU supporters also took place in Newcastle, York, Nottingham, Bristol, Cardiff, London, Cambridge, Reading, Liverpool and Birmingham.

The protest came as Hillary Clinton said during an interview for BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show that the UK would be put at a “very big disadvantage” if it failed to secure a Brexit deal. She said the country could not pin its hopes on a deal with President Trump, who “doesn’t believe in trade” and was close to pulling out of Nafta, the US’s free trade deal with Canada and Mexico.

Tory Chancellor Philip Hammond last week said Brexit negotiators were "the enemy" – a remark he subsequently described as a "poor choice of words".