There will be no vote in Catalonia on Sunday: Spain government

A farmer raises his fist at an overflying police helicopter while driving his tractor in a protest to show support for the banned referendum on independence from Spain in Barcelona, Spain, September 29, 2017. REUTERS/Juan Medina

MADRID (Reuters) - A planned vote in Catalonia on Sunday on independence from Spain will not go ahead, Spain's government spokesman Inigo Mendez de Vigo said on Friday. "I insist that there will be no referendum on Oct. 1," Mendez de Vigo said during a press conference following the weekly cabinet meeting, reiterating the government's position that the vote was illegal. (Reporting by Paul Day; Editing by Sonya Dowsett)