13 January 2019

The Independent: New Brexit referendum is most popular path if May’s deal is defeated, poll finds

An exclusive survey for The Independent shows that a fresh vote received more support than any of the four other options put to the public, including allowing the prime minister to go back to Brussels or a no-deal Brexit.

The survey by poling organisation BMG Research also suggests that more people oppose Ms May’s deal than back it, although the prime minister can take some comfort in the data showing a softening of opposition.

It comes amid growing speculation that the UK will have to delay Brexit to plot a fresh course, with some MPs and ministers pushing for the Commons to hold “indicative votes” on every possible option to test which carries majority support.

More than 1.1 million people have backed The Independent’s campaign for a Final Say vote on Britain’s exit from the EU since it was launched in June, with hundreds of thousands of supporters attending a rally in London.

As Ms May braces for a historic defeat on her deal on Tuesday, new polling shows that the public is riven with the same deep divisions held by MPs.

Some 46 per cent favoured a second referendum when BMG asked more than 1,500 respondents for their views on different outcomes should Ms May lose the vote. It found 28 per cent were against and 26 per cent did not know.

Remaining in the EU was backed by 45 per cent, while 39 per cent of people said they opposed reversing Brexit and 16 per cent said they did not know.

Forty-five per cent supported further negotiation with the EU, while 34 per cent were against going back to Brussels for fresh talks. More than a fifth (21 per cent) did not know.

Some 40 per cent would opt for Norway-style deal – which allows access to the single market – but 36 per cent dismissed the option and 24 per cent were unsure.

Leaving the EU without a deal was the least popular option as it was preferred by only 35 per cent, while 45 per cent opposed it and 21 per cent said they did not know. [...]

Full article on The Independent

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