Theresa May still has a long way to go before convincing people she is making a success of Brexit, with a new poll indicating almost two thirds of the public believe talks are going badly.
The exclusive survey for The Independent by BMG Research found that less than a quarter of people think negotiations are going well.
Almost a third of those who believed talks going badly blamed UK negotiators, twice as many as blamed the EU team handling talks.
It comes ahead of the next round of negotiations expected in coming weeks, which will seek to agree terms of Britain’s transition period out of the EU.
A weighted sample of more than 1,500 people were asked: “Thinking about the Brexit negotiations between the UK and the EU, in your view, how well or badly do you feel the negotiations are going?”
Some 37 per cent said it was going “quite badly” and 24 per cent said it was going “very badly” - a total of 61 per cent who thought talks going badly to some degree.
The figure is lower than a peak of 76 per cent who thought the talks going badly in October last year, but still leaves the Government a lot of work to do to change people’s perception.
Just two per cent of respondents in the latest poll thought Brexit negotiations going “very well” and only 20 per cent, “quite well”, a total of 22 per cent, while 17 per cent did not know.
Equally worrying for ministers is that of those who believed talks going badly almost a third, 30 per cent, blamed Brexit Secretary David Davis and his negotiating team.
Some 48 per cent blamed both sides equally, while 16 per cent blamed Michel Barnier and his team of European negotiators.
The next round of talks due towards the end of January, will set the terms of the transition which is expected to last two years up to 2021.
Brussels is pushing for the UK to adhere to all EU rules and accept new regulations during the period, as well as accept the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.
Negotiators want to have the transition agreed and to move on to the start of full talks on future trade by March.
Asked more generally how they would vote if there was a referendum on the UK’s EU membership tomorrow, 48 per cent backed Remain and 44 per cent backed Leave.
For Westminster voting intention, the main parties remained tied, with the Tories on 33 per cent and Labour on 32 per cent, or when people are pushed for a decision and “don’t knows” are excluded, the Tories on 40 per cent and Labour on 41 per cent.
Source Note: BMG Research interviewed a representative sample of 1,513 UK adults online between 9th & 12th January. Data are weighted. BMG are members of the British Polling Council and abide by their rules. More details at www.bmgresearch.co.uk/polling.
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