YouGov Survey Results Give New Referendum Hope To UK Expats

According to the latest YouGov survey, the Brexit tide is now turning against both May’s agreement and the feared no-deal exit.

The poll, held by the UK’s most respected polling company, shows without any doubt that Remain voters would win hands down should a second referendum be held at the present time. In addition, it also shows the Labour Party would be defeated in a landslide election result should it be seen to have helped Brexit become a reality.

The poll tested two referendum scenarios – the first gave a choice between May’s withdrawal agreement and the UK’s remaining in the EU, with the second pitting Remain against a no-deal exit. A total of over 25,000 Britons were represented in the results, with the first scenario showing the option to Remain in the EU ahead by 26 points after gaining 63 per cent of the vote as against 37 per cent opting for May’s agreement. The second scenario saw Remain gaining 58 per cent of the vote, whilst leaving without a deal garnered just 42 per cent.

The difference between the two results rests on the perceptions of those who originally voted to leave, with many still wanting a clean break from the EU but unhappy with the ‘lack of control’ seen in the government’s deal. Amongst all voters, just 22 per cent are in favour of the government’s deal, with just 28 per cent of those who voted Leave in 2016 also supporting the unpopular agreement. It seems the initial lack of any major downsides to the Leave option has now morphed into support for Remain due to a clearly defined picture of what leaving the UK will mean in the real world.

The British people clearly still want some kind of change, but not the changes that are now predicted to be the only alternative. Some 80 per cent of the numbers who voted in favour of leaving the EU are still in favour of Brexit, but only 69 per cent will stay with their choice if it involves a no-deal exit. The remainder are ‘don’t knows’ or have u-turned in support of Remain. Interestingly, the poll seems to have placed the Labour Party squarely in a dilemma as, should it support Brexit in any way, it’s likely to lose millions of Remain voters and gain no extra support from those in favour of Leave.