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The reason for the change of heart is a growing fear among previously pro-Brexit voters that leaving the EU will damage the economy, the report from NatCen, a leading social research institute, found.
“As many as 59 percent said they would vote Remain in another referendum, while only 41 percent indicated they would back Leave,” the report said. “This is by far and away the highest the level of support for Remain that we have recorded.”
The research is based on repeated interviews with the same 2,048 people and compares their answers to questions on the same issues over the past two years. The findings are likely to bolster the growing campaign inside the U.K. for a new referendum on the final terms of the divorce. [...]
The NatCen study, led by John Curtice, one of Britain’s most respected political analysts, found people are more likely to be critical of how May’s government is handling the exit talks than they were at the start of 2017. “The reputation of the U.K. government has seemingly suffered more than that of the EU from the perceived progress of the Brexit talks to date,” it said.
While the desire of voters to curb EU migration into the U.K. has decreased, there’s “something close to a consensus” in favor of keeping close trade ties between the U.K. and the EU. [...]