The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Survey finds new vote would overturn Leave
Results show second referendum on withdrawal would end 55% for Remain
A second referendum on Britain’s withdrawal from the EU would overturn the decision to leave, according to a new poll.
The ComRes survey for the Daily Mirror found 55% backing for Remain, against 45% for Leave.
The results were released a day after former Ukip leader Nigel Farage said he was coming round to the idea of a second referendum, which he predicted would confirm the 52%-48% victory for Leave and “kill off” opposition to Brexit “for a generation”.
Remain campaigners welcomed Mr Farage’s comments, with former Cabinet minister Lord Adonis saying: “Bring it on.”
Labour MP Chuka Umunna told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the version of Brexit offered to voters in 2016, including an additional £350 million a week being made available for priorities like the NHS, “is not transpiring to be delivered”.
“The debate that we had was hypothetical,” said Mr Umunna. “We now know the reality. If Brexit is materially different from what people were sold, then Parliament has a right to keep an open mind.
“At the end of the day, if we do end up with another referendum, how on earth can it ‘thwart the will of the people’ if the people are the ones who have the final say on the deal?”
However, Mr Farage swiftly backtracked on the idea, telling the Daily Telegraph: “To be clear, I do not want a second referendum, but I fear one may be forced upon the country by Parliament. That is how deep my distrust is for career politicians.
“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?”
Downing Street ruled out a fresh vote on EU membership but bookies cut the odds of a poll in 2019 to 5-1.
Voters questioned for the ComRes poll showed little appetite for going back to the ballot box, with just 43% saying that they want a second referendum against 51% who did not.
Just 30% said they were confident Theresa May would get a good Brexit deal, compared with 65% who were not.
The debate over whether the public should get a vote on the deal obtained by the Prime Minister was thrust back into the spotlight by Mr Farage’s suggestion that a second vote would draw a line under criticism by key Remainers.
On Thursday, he said: “I think that if we had a second referendum on EU membership 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.”