Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
FARAGE: I WANT 2ND REFERENDUM
...Mirror poll reveals 55% Remain & SDLP say ‘Bring it on’
NIGEL Farage yesterday made an astonishing U-turn by calling for a second EU referendum.
The EX-UKIP boss claims there would be an even bigger Leave win but a Mirror poll found most would now vote to stay. The SDLP’S Claire Hanna said: “We are happy to say ‘Bring it on’ to this suggestion.”
NIGEL Farage called for a second referendum after convincing himself it would deliver an even bigger triumph for the Leave campaign.
But the cocky former UKIP leader’s move could represent a massive gamble as a new poll showed most Brits would now vote to remain in the EU.
After realising Brexit was won on a campaign of lies such as the £350million a week pledge to the NHS and fearing the cost to jobs and the economy, many have changed their minds about our prospects outside the union.
An exclusive poll for the Daily Mirror by Comres found 55% of us would vote to stay and 45% to quit if there were a second vote – overturning the original 52% to 48% leave result. But the survey also showed 51% are against any new referendum, with 43% in favour.
Mr Farage sparked a political storm yesterday when he made his new referendum call while having a dig at key Remainers such as Tony Blair, Sir Nick Clegg and Lord Adonis.
But he fiercely backtracked last night in the wake of the Mirror poll.
He had said in a TV interview: “What is for certain is the Cleggs, the Blairs, the Adonises will never give up. They will go on whinging and whining and moaning all the way through this process. So maybe, just maybe, I’m reaching the point of thinking that we should have a second referendum on EU membership.
“I think if we had a second referendum we would kill it off for a generation. The percentage that would vote to leave next time would be very much bigger than it was last time round. And we may just finish the whole thing off. And Blair can disappear off into total obscurity.”
Remainers welcomed Mr Farage’s comments. Lord Adonis said: “So Nigel Farage wants a referendum on Mrs May’s Brexit deal. I agree. Bring it on.”
PRO-EU Labour MP Chuka Umunna
For perhaps the first time in his life, Farage has made a valid point CHUKA UMUNNA ON UKIP FORMER CHIEF’S EU CALL
added: “For perhaps the first time in his life, Nigel Farage is making a valid point.
“If the Brexit that is delivered does not match up to the promises of Leave campaigners, with no sign of £350million extra per week for the NHS but a whopping great divorce bill of £39billion, then everyone is entitled to ask if this is the right choice for our country.”
SDLP Brexit spokesperson Claire Hanna MLA responded to Mr Farage’s comments, telling the former UKIP Leader to “bring it on”. She added: “Whether it is because he finally accepts that Brexit is a disaster or he is just seeking attention, for the first time in my life I agree with Nigel Farage, it is fair to give the electorate an opportunity to have a say on the outcome of the EU negotiations.
“While there really isn’t a need for another referendum to determine the will of the people here in Northern Ireland, we voted decisively to remain and to protect our place in Europe, we are happy to say ‘Bring it On’ to this suggestion.
“Many of the promises and claims made by Nigel Farage have been exposed as untruths, and the difficulties and inconsistencies of the Brexiters’ laid bare.
“The will of the people’ should not have been limited to one vote on June 23, 2016. The SDLP were the only local party to register to campaign to Remain in Europe, and will keep leading that debate in the event of any future referendum.”
The result of the Mirror poll sent Mr Farage into a panic, as the shockwaves of his referendum comments still reverberated across Westminster.
He said: “To be clear, I do not want a second referendum, but I fear one may be forced upon the country by Parliament. This poses a big question for Leavers. Do we stick with the view that the result will stand or acknowledge the fact that we face this potential threat?
UKIP leader Henry Bolton dismissed the call by Mr Farage. He said: “Our policy on a second referendum remains unchanged. The party opposes a second referendum.” Before the 2016 referendum, Mr Farage admitted he would have kept pushing for another vote if his side lost by a narrow margin. Theresa May insisted there would be no second referendum and Britain would leave the EU on March 29 next year. But bookies cut the odds of a new vote in 2019 to 5-1. The PM’S spokesman said: “The people made their decision. We are focused on ensuring Brexit is delivered.” Jeremy Corbyn has also ruled out the idea.
The Comres survey of 1,049 adults also found 65% of those quizzed do not trust Mrs May to secure a good Brexit deal for Britain, while only 33% believe she can.
Voters aged 18-24 are not only in favour of second poll (54% to 37%) but would vote overwhelmingly to remain in the EU by 77% to 23%.
By contrast, among those aged 65 and over 67% would vote to quit and only 33% stay.
Older voters are most opposed to a second referendum by 68% to 28%.
The poll came as data from by analysts Cambridge Econometrics warned a hard Brexit could cost the country half a million jobs and £50billion in lost investment by 2030.
And nightclub boss Peter Stringfellow, 77, ditched the Tory party because he’s angry about the country moving towards Brexit.