Brexit is divisive as ever

More than two years after the EU referendum Brexit remains as divisive as ever.

Now a new poll reveals the North East is split exactly 50/50 about whether to stay or leave Europe.

The figures by YouGove for the People’s Vote campaign were compiled from a 1,000 adults in the region.

It comes as the People’s Vote campaign publishes a detailed impact study on how Brexit would affect the North East.

It claims the region is expected to lose 10% of GDP over the next decade under a “no deal” scenario, meaning every man, woman and child here would be £3,000 a year worse off.

And it says 84%of voters in the North East think “the process of leaving the EU so far has been a mess”.

Now we all know surveys and polls should be taken with a pinch of salt, but the figures, showing a ‘dead heat’ among voters in the North East is very different from the 16-point gap between Leave and Remain in 2016.

The reasons for the turnaround have been attributed to not only the government’s lack of unity over a Brexit deal but also a massive split between older and younger voters and the swing in Labour party voters towards Remain.

The People’s Vote campaign says what the new findings do show is that if Brexit talks break down or there is no agreement over a deal 54% want the public to have a final say – and that’s against 22% who think MPs should be given the decision.

Brexiteers will no doubt think this another scaremongering poll, but what the figures do under line is the public has little faith in the government’s negotiations.

It is imperative that Theresa May engineers a Brexit deal – otherwise chaos could ensue and the country could stay divided for a very long time