Voters ‘saw Labour as best bet for keeping close links to EU’

VOTERS viewed Labour as the “best bet” for maintaining close ties with the EU despite its “ambiguous” single market position, according to new general election research.

Academics from the British Election Study (BES) team said their data suggests Jeremy Corbyn’s party won over “large numbers” of Remain backers from the Conservatives, the Green Party and Liberal Democrats at June’s snap election.

They added more than 50% of all voters who backed Remain at the 2016 EU referendum gave their support to Labour at this year’s general election.

This compared with 25% for the Tories and 15% for the pro-EU Lib Dems, which had promised a second referendum under Tim Farron’s leadership.

Professor Ed Fieldhouse and Chris Prosser, members of the BES team from the University of Manchester, wrote: “Despite an ambiguous position on the single market, Labour was seen as the best bet for those wanting to keep closer ties with our European neighbours.”

Since the election, the confusion has continued with Mr Corbyn saying Britain would leave the single market on Brexit while other leading Labour figures – such as shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer – have said all options are on the table.

Prof Fieldhouse and Mr Prosser added of the election data: “One of the reasons Labour could do so well amongst Remainers is that by May 2017 the Brexit debate was not so much about whether or not to leave or remain, but about how to leave the EU.”