Some 2.6 million Britons who voted in favor of Brexit in the 2016 referendum no longer support the UK’s exit from the EU, especially if a transition period and trade deal are not agreed, The Independent reported on Tuesday, citing a new study.
Researchers from the pro-EU Best for Britain group analyzed data from two YouGov polls consisting of around 15,000 people and reported a significant fall in support for Brexit over two years after the referendum.
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Interestingly, over the same period, almost a million remain supporters have switched sides and now support Brexit, so the net gain in staying in the union is around 1.6 million.
This suggests a fresh vote would result in Britain staying in the EU, but despite campaigners and politicians urging the government to hold another referendum, the likelihood of them doing so is low, with the British government insisting it already has a mandate to withdraw from the EU and plans to do so.
Commenting on the study’s findings, anti-Brexit Labour MP Owen Smith told The Independent, “This new data confirms that Britain is changing its mind about Brexit and Labour voters are leading the change. They want to see an end to austerity and they are worried that Brexit will mean years more of cuts to the NHS and other public services.”
However, Brexiteers have suggested such a safeguard would further weaken Britain’s hand in negotiations with Brussels, insisting that “no deal is better than a bad deal.”
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