Britons split 50-50 on EU membership

Almost half of voters say that Theresa May is handling Brexit negotiations badly and expect they will be worse off as a result, a new poll has found.

Just 18 per cent of people say the government is doing “well” in talks to leave the EU, while 45 per cent say things have gone “badly” while the rest don’t know. A small majority (53 per cent) are keen for Mrs May to ignore the hardliners in her party by pursuing a soft Brexit.

Jeremy Corbyn maintains Labour’s poll lead by two points on 41 per cent. But neither of the frontrunners to replace Mrs May – David Davis or Boris Johnson – would beat him in a snap election, according to pollsters Survation. Mr Johnson (47 per cent) is seen as best bet to replace Mrs May, ahead of Mr Davis (27 per cent).

Britons remain split on EU membership, with 50 per cent backing Leave while the other half are in favour of Remain.

Concerns are creeping in about the complexity and cost of leaving the EU, with only 18 per cent of people thinking they will be financially better off as a result of the vote to leave, compared with 39 per cent who think they will be in a worse position.