POLITICO: UK voters want ministers to prioritize economy after Brexit: poll

06 February 2018

British voters want the government to prioritize the economy over controlling immigration in negotiating the UK’s exit from the EU, according to a poll seen by POLITICO.

The survey, carried out by YouGov and commissioned by pro-EU group Best for Britain, found that 49 percent of voters believe it is “more important to ensure Britain can trade freely with the EU without tariff barriers than it is to control immigration.” Only 37 percent said control over immigration was more important than free trade, with 14 percent not sure.

But the poll did not detect a strong desire to remain in the EU. It found that 41 percent of people thought Britain should press ahead with Brexit in March next year even in the event of a no-deal scenario, compared with 38 percent who thought Britain should stay in the EU if it fails to strike a deal. Twenty-one percent said they didn’t know. And a narrow majority (43 percent vs. 41 percent) said the government should in the meantime press ahead with its current Brexit strategy, as opposed to seeking a softer Brexit, calling a second referendum or opting to stay inside the EU.

Full article on POLITICO

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