MOS POLL: ‘REMAIN’ SURGE BACK TO 3-POINT LEAD

THE Remain camp has surged into a three-point lead in Britain’s EU referendum campaign in the aftermath of the violent death of Yorkshire MP Jo Cox.

A Mail on Sunday poll by Survation shows David Cameron’s Remain campaign on 45% support, with Boris Johnson’s Leave on 42%.

This is a dramatic six-point turnaround since a similar Survation poll on Thursday, just hours before the Labour MP was killed. The new telephone poll was conducted on Friday and Saturday as Britain mourned Mrs Cox.

In addition to her prominent campaign for Syrian refugees, Mrs Cox was a leading Remain supporter. The six-point switch confirms claims by some commentators that voters could take a more ‘risk-averse’ approach to leaving the EU so soon after Mrs Cox’s shocking death.

Survation’s Thursday poll showed Leave on 45% and Remain on 42%, the exact reverse of today’s figures. The number of undecideds – 13% – has stayed the same. If undecideds are excluded, the poll produces a 52-48% majority for staying in the EU.

And the gap could get bigger: 46% say Remain are likely to benefit from any additional late surge, with 33% forecasting a late swing to Leave.

A win for Remain is forecast by 40%, with 26% predicting victory for Leave. David Cameron tops the table for best campaign with 17%, ahead of Boris Johnson on 15%.

Britain’s top pollster, Professor John Curtice of Strathclyde University, said: ‘After a week in which many polls suggested Leave had leapt into the lead, today’s poll will come as a relief to the Remain camp.’ He added: ‘Mr Cameron will hope the tide has now begun to turn.’

Survation interviewed 1,001 adults by telephone on Friday and Saturday.