Public opinion swings against Brexit – poll
MORE voters in all 40 Welsh constituencies now believe that leaving the EU was wrong than think the opposite, according to a Britain-wide poll.
In fact only one seat in the whole of Britain – Boston and Skegness in Lincolnshire – still has more Leave supporters than those who think Brexit was a mistake.
The poll, from Focaldata, involved collecting data from 10,009 respondents between December 12 and December 16. 2022.
Its findings reflect a significant change from the referendum in 2016 that resulted in Brexit.
At that time, the people of Wales voted by 52.5% to 47.5% to leave the EU, with a majority favouring Brexit in 17 of the 22 Welsh local authority areas.
The largest Leave share of the vote in the referendum was in Blaenau Gwent, where 62% of those voting backed Brexit and 38% wanted to remain in the EU.
In the new poll, 48% of people in Blaenau Gwent thought leaving the EU had been a bad idea, with 33% thinking it was a good idea and the rest saying they didn’t know.
Commenting on the turnaround in public opinion, Blaenau Gwent Labour MS Alun Davies tweeted: “This poll reflects my experience in the borough.
“A mature democracy allows and enables people to change their minds.”
The poll shows that voters in Cardiff were Wales’ most critical of Brexit. In Cardiff Central, 65% thought leaving the EU had been a bad idea, with just 16% saying it was a good idea. And in Cardiff North, the figures were 63% and 23% respectively.
Mr Davies, who has been critical of UK Labour’s refusal to commit to rejoining the European single market and customs union, told us: “The key point is that there is little support for Brexit, but there appears to be a conspiracy to continue to impose Brexit on the UK from the Londoncentric political and media establishment.
“The rest of us need to find the route back to leading and shaping our European future.”
Plaid Cymru MP Hywel Williams said: “It’s clearer than ever that the Tories’ destructive Brexit is harming our economy. Endless paperwork is making exporting near impossible, and harsh restrictions on European workers has led to severe labour shortages.”
He added: “It is no wonder then that more voters in all 40 Welsh constituencies now believe that leaving the EU was wrong than think the opposite.
“Voters no longer expect unspun reality from the Conservative Party. But for the Labour Party to stay silent about the harm of Brexit due to political expediency is unforgivable.”
Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds said: “We have always campaigned against Brexit because we knew the damage it would cause to our economy and communities.
“But what this polling shows us is not just that people have changed their minds, but that the Conservatives have let people down with false promises.
“The public, whichever way they voted during the initial referendum, understand that we need closer trading relations with our nearest neighbours especially in the current economic climate.”
Welsh Conservative Senedd leader Andrew RT Davies tweeted: “This is a good day to remember that, after we undertook the biggest democratic exercise in our country’s history, some of our most senior politicians tried to overturn the result.
“We must never take our precious democracy for granted.”
Constituency estimates in the poll are based on data from the 632 constituencies in England, Scotland and Wales, but do not include the 18 seats in Northern Ireland.