Number of voters backing second Brexit referendum overtakes those against, poll reveals

Support for second referendum increases as Brussels rejects Theresa May's plans

More voters favour a second Brexit referendum than do not, a new poll has indicated, as a tussle between Theresa May and the EU over trade continues.

Of 1,653 adults asked whether there should be a referendum on the final terms of a Brexit deal, 42 per cent said there should, while 40 per cent said there should not. The rest did not know.

Support for another referendum has been increasing in the face of Brussel’s rejection of parts of the prime minister’s Chequers plan and a parliamentary stalemate over what the future relationship with the EU should look like.

The new survey, carried out by YouGov for The Times on Wednesday and Thursday this week, confirms a number of other polls that showed widespread support for another referendum.

Earlier this month, a poll by BMG for The Independent found 44 per cent of the public either strongly supported or somewhat supported a referendum on the terms of a Brexit deal, while only 27 per cent opposed it.

Yesterday, a petition by The Independent calling for the public to have a vote on the final Brexit deal reached more 250,000 people, 24 hours after its launch.

The new YouGov poll showed Conservative voters were least likely to support a referendum on a final Brexit deal by a large margin.

While just 21 per cent of Tory voters supported a second referendum, 58 per cent of Labour voters and 67 per cent of Liberal Democrat voters did.

Those who voted for Brexit in 2016 largely did not support a referendum on a deal. Only 19 per cent of people who voted for Brexit in 2016 said there should be one, while 66 per cent of those who voted to remain said there should be one.

In the 2016 referendum, 17.4 million votes, or 51.9 per cent of votes cast, backed leaving the EU while 16.1 million votes, or 48.1 per cent of votes cast, backed staying. Many opinion polls were wrong about the result.