Brexit: Nearly a third back second referendum on EU, poll finds

Another chance? The majority of those polled opposed the idea of a second referendum
PA
Sebastian Mann17 July 2016
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Almost one in three Britons supports a second referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union, a poll has found.

Some 29 per cent said they were in favour of a re-run once the Government has reached a deal with the bloc, according to research by ComRes.

However, more than half (57pc) rejected a second referendum – an idea backed by Labour leadership candidate Owen Smith.

Those surveyed also said by a 46pc to 38pc margin that Theresa May should continue as Prime Minister without a general election, according to the poll for The Sunday Mirror and Independent.

Mrs May also enjoyed a commanding lead over her main opponent, Jeremy Corbyn, with more than half (55pc) saying she is a strong leader compared to 13pc for the Labour leader.

Similarly 48pc said Mrs May was good on the world stage compared to just 11pc for Mr Corbyn.

The Opposition leader performed better on other aspects of leadership, with two in five (42pc) saying he understands ordinary people compared to 31pc for Mrs May.

But the new PM still outperforms Mr Corbyn on who is more principled, with 44pc saying Mrs May and 43pc the Labour leader.

Respondents were more likely to believe that Mrs May would make a better Prime Minister than David Cameron, by 36pc to 21pc, while more than half (52pc) said she would make a good premier in general.

Meanwhile, Labour's crisis was exposed with voters believing both of Mr Corbyn's leadership challengers have a better chance of winning a general election than him.

More than a third (34pc) said Mr Smith has a better chance than Mr Corbyn (27pc) with a similar figure for Angela Eagle (36pc to 32pc).

But half (50pc) of Labour voters backed Mr Corbyn over Ms Eagle (23pc) to win an election, and 44pc backed the leader against Mr Smith (26pc).

ComRes interviewed 2,097 British adults online between July 13 and 15.

Additional reporting by PA

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