More than half of British people believe the UK will not exist in ten years, new poll finds

Some 53 per cent of Britons believe the union will break up in the next decade

Enthusiasm has turned to anger as many feel they were misled by Brexit politicians (Reuters)

More than half of British people believe the UK will not exist in 10 years time, a new poll has found.

The BBC/ComRes poll found 53 per cent of the 1,000 adults surveyed thought the union would break up in the next ten years following the vote to leave the EU.

Nearly 72 per cent of British adults do not trust their politicians do a good job in the Brexit negotiations - and 52 per cent believe the civil servants can’t be trusted either.

Some 52 per cent expect immigration to fall after the UK leaves but 47 per cent believe the economy will be worse in two year’s time.

Most Britons, 66 per cent, believe maintaining access to the single market is more important than restricting freedom of movement.

But 31 per cent still think immigration is more important - and 45 per cent said they will be dissatisfied if the government does not guarantee it.

It comes as the new prime minister, Theresa May, told foreign leaders she will implement the will of the British people in her first phone calls in No 10 on Wednesday.

In her conversations with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French president Francois Hollande and Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny she reiterated her earlier declaration that “Brexit means Brexit”.

But in her speech outside Downing Street following her meeting with the Queen Ms May said she wanted to preserve the “precious bonds” of the union between the UK’s four countries.

She will travel to Scotland on Friday to meet Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for the first time since becoming leader.

Ms Sturgeon has said she will do everything she can to find a way for Scotland, which voted Remain, to stay in the EU - and has called for a second independence referendum.

The Leave side won a narrow victory in the referendum on 23 June with 52 per cent of the vote.

But in days following the result - which saw many Brexit politicians resigning and backtracking on promises they had made during the campaign - enthusiasm for Brexit turned to anger.

A petition calling for a second referendum soon reached four million signatures and the issue will now be debated in the House of Commons.