The Referendum was ADVISORY !!

17/10/16  UK Government Agreed Referendum Could not be Legally Binding - from The Independent http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-senior-conservative-mps-seize-on-a-forgotten-government-pledge-to-let-parliament-decide-the-a7366316.html

The Referendum was Advisory - it was never meant to be binding !
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2016/11/article-50-ruling-eu-referendum-was-only-ever-advisory


and the link from that article - http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-7249

and this looks interesting :

and this ...

And I only just heard this recently - but Alex Salmond had tabled an amendment to put a double lock on the result ...