A shift in the public perception of UK political parties, the role of parliamentarians and the government’s style of governance and approach to divisive matters has been recorded by the Hansard Society, a UK charity specialising in research and advice on Parliament.
Asked whether they prefer politicians to stick to their positions or make compromises with people they disagree with, the percentage of respondents supporting each option was split 45 per cent and 48 per cent, respectively.
"Preferring a strong leader who is willing to break the rules, or thinking that the government should be able to tackle the country's problems without worrying about the approval of parliament, would challenge core tenets of our democracy. The public feel strongly that the system of governing favours the rich and powerful and that political parties don't care about the average person. And people are not confident that politicians act in the public interest. Unless something changes, this is a potentially toxic recipe for the future of British politics," Hansard Society director Ruth Fox suggested.
75 per cent of surveyed Britons claimed that the main political parties are so divided in themselves that they cannot serve the best interests of the country.
The two largest UK parties — the Conservatives and Labour — have been rocked by bitter infighting over the course of Brexit negotiations, leading up to several MPs defecting to form the Change UK Party.
READ MORE: Independent Group Rebrands Itself as 'Change UK', Registers for EU Elections
The inability of the government and MPs to figure Brexit out may have pushed the public to have more confidence in the military and judges, especially as some believe MPs come across as unprepared and ill-versed in its legalities and economic impact
A number of politicians in charge of the country, such as PM Theresa May, former Cabinet minister Boris Johnson, former UKIP leader Nigel Farage and Brexit ministers, as well as Parliament backbenchers, have been exposed for their misleading or false Brexit promises and claims.
"Civil servants, television broadcasters and trade unions command greater public confidence than do politicians," the report said.
With only 25 per cent confident in Westminster's ability to handle Brexit, the majority (72 per cent) said the UK system of governance needs ‘quite a lot' or ‘a great deal' of improvement.
At the same time, more people — compared to last year's figures — said they are not at all interested in politics and know nothing about it.
Theresa May has on Sunday attempted to explain "what on earth is happening with Brexit". In a short video address, the PM gave an update on the progress of Brexit talks. However, the outcome remains largely unclear as main parties and the EU leadership still haven't reached a decision on an exit agreement.
The risk of a new general election is a possibility in the coming months, pending on May's success in closing a Brexit deal.
According to Hansard Society report, 61 per cent of respondents indicated they would be certain to vote in an immediate general election.