Mark Easton presented some interesting “Brexit expectations” polling by ComRes for the BBC last night on the Ten O’clock News. Here are a couple of highlights:
Most Britons think that maintaining access to the single market should be the priority for the Government when negotiating the UK’s withdrawal from the EU (66%), while just a third say this of restricting freedom of movement (31%).
Half of Britons (52%) say they think that the UK will stay in the single market with some limits on freedom of movement.
On that second point, even 54% of Leave voters say they think that the UK will stay in the single market with some limits on freedom of movement.
This is all very interesting and rather in contrast to the pronouncements of our new Brexit cabinet minister, David Davis.
You can read the full results of the Comres polling here and here.
* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist. He is currently taking a break from his role as one of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
6 Comments
That doesn’t surprise me. As a happy 52% voter I voted to leave the EU because i don’t believe the EU is a democratic institution, not to get rid of immigrants.
So most people like me probably would make free trade a bigger issue than free movement. You can speculate until the cows come home about why people voted the way they did. But what they actually voted for was what was written on the ballot.
The 52% do not have to be given an end to immigration, they have to be given an EU exit because that was what they voted for. The four freedomsp outside the EU would give people what they actually voted for.
If I were a lib dem I’d be working to try and get a Norway type four freedoms deal in order to give people what they voted for but still be acceptable to me. Problem is the lib dems arent doing this, they’re working on trying to overturn a democratic decision by promising to rejoin without a referendum if they win, say, 37% of the vote in a general election and end up with a majority in parliament while saying that FPTP is wrong because it allows exactly that.
Rightsaidfredfan said
“As a happy 52% voter I voted to leave the EU” and “So most people like me probably would make free trade a bigger issue than free movement.” but he’s wrong and the poll proves it. when the poll asked the question
Britain should stop European Union citizens coming to live
and work in Britain with new immigration rules even if that
restricted Britain’s access to the EU single market
66% percent of the leavers said yes we should, so sorry Fred you might like the single market but your fellow leavers don’t so don’t hold your breath waiting for it.
“The 52% do not have to be given an end to immigration, they have to be given an EU exit because that was what they voted for. The four freedomsp outside the EU would give people what they actually voted for.”
110%, from a leaver.
Rightsaidfredfan: The Liberal Democrats, or any of the other smaller parties, could only come to power with the FPTP system because they cannot change it until they come to power so your comment is meaningless.
My understanding is that there is a difference between “being in the single market” and “having access to the single market”.
It is only the former which requires freedom of movement.
@nvelope2003 “The Liberal Democrats, or any of the other smaller parties, could only come to power with the FPTP system because they cannot change it until they come to power so your comment is meaningless.”
I have to disagree with your conclusion. If Lib Dems were to gain a majority in parliament based upon a minority of votes, it would be hypocritical of them to exploit first-past-the-post to impose their wish to rejoin the EU. It would be more principled to reform the electoral system and then seek a fresh mandate for a more representative government to rejoin the EU. Though as I write that there seems to be a vicious circle: would it be hypocritical for Lib Dems in such a government to do anything, including electoral reform? 🙁