Majority for second Brexit referendum ‘has 16 point lead’
2 min read
Support for a second referendum on the terms of EU membership is growing, with a poll finding a 16-point lead for those in favour.
The ICM survey, conducted for the Guardian, found 47% of the public backed revisiting the question of EU membership once the terms of Britain’s departure were known.
The same poll found 34% of voters opposed it, with roughly one-fifth saying they had no opinion on a second referendum.
Concern over the effects of leaving the EU were growing, with some 43% of voters worried Brexit will have a negative affect on the economy.
It also found a widening geographical difference in Remain and Brexit voters, with those in Scotland supporting staying in the EU and voters in the Wales and parts of England wanting to leave.
The gaps in age and voting intention also remained, with younger voters 17% more likely to support remaining in the EU, while over-65s wanted to leave.
However, the ICM poll did not provide a more robust outcome for remaining in the EU than the referendum result in June 2016.
It found only 51% of those surveyed wanted to remain in the EU, while 52% of the country had voted to leave 18 months ago.
Alex Turk, a senior research executive at ICM Unlimited, said: “On the results of this poll of 5,000, the result of a second EU referendum would be far from a foregone conclusion.”
