Brexit: let the people decide

RESULTS SHOW PUBLIC CALLS FOR REFERENDUM

If Brexit talks break down without a deal, half of Britons believe the final decision over whether to leave the European Union (EU) should be taken by the public in a referendum, according to a survey of more than 10 000 people published yesterday.

The YouGov poll, commissioned by the pro-referendum People’s Vote campaign group, found twice as many respondents favoured the public rather than parliament taking a decision between remaining in the EU, or leaving the bloc without a deal.

With less than eight months until Britain is due to leave the EU, Prime Minister Theresa May has yet to find a proposal to maintain economic ties with the bloc that pleases both sides of her divided party and is acceptable to negotiators in Brussels.

British Trade Minister Liam Fox warned he saw a 60% chance of a “no-deal” Brexit, which would see the world’s fifth-largest economy quit the EU on March 29, 2019 without an agreement. Concerns over the prospect of that outcome have weighed on sterling.

The poll found 45% of voters supported holding a referendum on completion of the negotiations whatever the outcome, while 34% opposed it.

Asked who should make the decision between staying or leaving if the talks broke down without a deal, 50% said it should be the public voting in a referendum, while 25% said it should be lawmakers voting in parliament.

Faced with a three-way choice between remaining in the EU, leaving without a deal or accepting May’s deal, 40% favoured remaining, 27% wanted to leave without a deal and 11% would vote to leave with the deal proposed.

May has repeatedly ruled out another public vote, saying the public spoke at a 2016 referendum, in which 51.9% backed leaving the EU.

– British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party has taken a four-point lead over Labour according to a poll published in the Times newspaper yesterday, which suggests a row over anti-Semitism is damaging the opposition party’s appeal.

The YouGov poll showed 39% of those asked said they would vote for the Conservatives, a gain of one point for May’s party compared to last week, when the pair were level. Labour dropped three points to 35%. –