Almost six out of 10 (57 per cent) believe Boris Johnson lied to them about what Brexit would be like during the bitter referendum campaign of 2016.
More than half of those questioned (51 per cent) want a referendum on rejoining at some point, with 39 per cent saying it should come in the next five years, compared to just 32 per cent who say the issue should never be reopened.
When asked what effect Brexit had so far had on the UK’s interests generally, some 38 per cent said it had been damaging, against just 27 per cent who said it had improved matters.
Even among Leave voters, only 39 per cent said that Brexit had been good for the UK’s interests, with 34 per saying it had made no difference and 18 per cent saying it had been harmful.
Judging whether Brexit had worsened or improved a range of aspects of British life, in every case respondents answered in the negative.
A clear majority (59 per cent) said EU withdrawal had damaged relations with the UK’s European neighbours, compared to 14 per cent who said they had improved.
More than half (51 per cent) said Brexit had made it more difficult to access a range of goods and services, compared to 18 per cent who said availability had improved.
Some 45 per cent said the burden of bureaucracy on UK businesses and citizens had increased as a result of leaving the EU, while just 21 per cent believed it had reduced.
On the economy generally, 44 per cent said Brexit had been harmful and 24 per cent beneficial.
On the economy generally, 44 per cent said Brexit had been harmful and 24 per cent beneficial.
Even on Britain’s ability to control its own borders – one of the central promises of the Leave campaign – just 23 per cent said Brexit had helped, against 43 per cent who said it had made matters worse.
Some 41 per cent said the UK had become less united and 24 per cent more united as a result. And 39 per cent said Britain had less global influence, compared to 23 per cent who said it had more.
On every count, people said that the Remain campaign in the 2016 referendum gave a more accurate picture than Leave of what Brexit would be like.
57% said that they believed Mr Johnson lied more than he told the truth in the Brexit debate, against 26 % who thought the opposite.
57% said that they believed Mr Johnson lied more than he told the truth in the Brexit debate, against 26 % who thought the opposite.
the Remain position was judged more accurate than Leave on: the economy (Remain +7, Leave -5); the unity of the UK (Remain +14, Leave -7); disruption to everyday life (Remain +9, Leave -10); and the impact on Northern Ireland (Remain +10, Leave -19).
Despite these findings, the poll found the UK still split down the middle on Brexit, with 46% saying the decision to leave was right & 46% wrong. Some 10% of former Leave voters who now think it was the wrong decision were balanced by 13%Remain voters who now think it was right.
Anand Menon explains this by an attachment to sovereignty. I personally think voters believe the boil had to be lanced: the poison in the Conservative party which infected & divided the country made the issue of the EU relationship a permanent sore. Now at least the case -pro or
against- can be made with a lived experience of both being in & being out. It will be possible to compare 2 real situations as opposed to a real one against an imaginary utopia.
For the moment, despite the negative view of the results of Brexit, voters seem prepared to see how it pans out over the next few years. But at the very least the stark findings show that there should be only limited hostility to a closer relationship & regulatory alignment.
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