'Brexit means Brexit' Brits lose confidence in May securing good EU deal, study reveals
THERESA May has lost the confidence of the British voters to secure a good deal with the European Union, but they still back Brexit, a study has revealed.
A report by pollster NatCen has found the proportion of voters who think Britain will come out of the negotiations with the European Union with a good deal has plummeted from a third of those questioned in February to just under a fifth - a mere 19 per cent - now.
Similarly, the proportion of those who think the Government has handled the negotiations badly had soared from 41 per cent to 61 per cent over the same period.
While confidence in Prime Minister Theresa May’s administration to deliver a positive Brexit deal for the UK has sunk, the proportion of those still wanting to either Remain or Leave have remained virtually the same since February.
Asked how they would vote if there was, hypothetically, a referendum vote now, 53 per cent backed remaining in the EU, up one percentage point from February, while those backing leave had fallen by one percentage point from 48 to 47 per cent.
Getty/EPA
The findings were published today in an extensive report called ‘Half-Time in the Brexit Negotiations: The Voters’ Scorecard’.
The latest survey was undertaken between 28 September and 29 October and secured responses from 2,168 people.
Senior Research Fellow at NatCen John Curtice said: “Our new data point to two important conclusions.
“First, voters, including not least those who voted Leave in the EU referendum, have become more critical of the way the negotiations are being handled and more pessimistic about what the consequences of Brexit will be.
Brexit negotiations continue
Mon, December 4, 2017Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party accused Britain on Tuesday of keeping it in the dark over a proposed Brexit deal on the Irish border but said it would examine the text after blocking an agreement in Brussels
Theresa May is welcomed by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at the EC headquarters in Brussels
Related articles
“However, and second, this development has apparently not changed the balance of public opinion on what the eventual shape of Brexit should be.”
The findings will give Mrs May cold comfort as she faces a turbulent time with her Brexit plans in a critical state after the DUP, led by Arlene Foster, made it clear they would flatly reject any deal with the EU if it meant altering the relationship between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.
Now Mrs May will have to go back to the drawing board to devise another proposal that is acceptable to the DUP which currently keeps her administration in power.
Time is running out with the key EU summit to decide if talks can progress to trade, scheduled to take place on December 14.
EPA
EPA
Mr Curtice said: “Between them our two key findings point to an important lesson – it should not be presumed that growing disappointment and discontent with the Brexit process (of which there already seems to be plenty) will necessarily persuade voters to change their minds about the kind of Brexit the UK should be seeking, or their view about the wisdom of leaving the EU in the first place.
“So far, at least, voters seem inclined to blame the actors in the Brexit process for their perceived failure to be delivering what voters want rather than draw the conclusion that the act of leaving is misguided.
“A difficult Brexit could simply prove politically costly for Mrs May and her beleaguered Government rather than a catalyst for a change of heart amongst the public about Brexit.”
