Brexit: Majority believe TV debate should include proponents of fresh referendum and no-deal scenario, poll says

'The broadcasters should heed the fact that only a small minority back the May-Corbyn debates that have been proposed'

A majority of the public believe a televised Brexit debate between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn should also include proponents of both a fresh referendum and a no-deal scenario.

The findings, from a new survey by pollsters YouGov, also showed that five times as many voters believe the prime minister’s exit deal will result in a weaker, rather than stronger British economy.

The poll comes after negotiations over a live TV debate descended into a row, with Mr Corbyn’s team clashing with Ms May’s advisers over the the format of a debate which both party leaders have – in principle – agreed to.

While the prime minister’s team agreed to a BBC proposal, the Labour leader’s office prefer ITV’s plan for a head-to-head showdown on Sunday 9 December. The SNP, Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the Greens have all demanded inclusion in the debate.

The new poll found that 53 per cent believed an advocate of a public vote with the option of remaining in the EU should have representative in the debate, compared with 25 per cent who disagreed and 22 per cent who did not know.

The poll reveals that a further 58 per cent of those surveyed thought a senior politician who backed leaving the bloc without a deal should be included in any TV debate while 19 per cent disagreed.

Commissioned for the People’s Vote campaign, the results will pile pressure on broadcasters to involve senior politicians in a potential Brexit debate next week beyond the Labour leader and Ms May, who has herself ruled out the possibility of a second public vote.

On Monday, The Independent will hand in a petition to Downing Street, signed by over a million individuals who are demanding a Final Say on Ms May’s Brexit deal.

Peter Kellner, the former president of YouGov, said: “The broadcasters should heed the fact that only a small minority back the May-Corbyn debates that have been proposed. Clear majorities demand the inclusion of advocated of staying in the EU ad leaving without a deal being included as full participants.”

The findings were published as government minister Sam Gyimah resigned from Ms May’s administration, laying into the UK-EU agreement as a “deal in name only” as he made clear he would vote against it in the House of Commons in ten days’ time.

Formerly universities minister, the Conservative MP said that if Ms May’s deal is rejected in the chamber, the “most sensible” way forward would be for a fresh referendum, with the option of staying in the EU included on the ballot paper.

According to the new poll – once “don’t know” respondents are excluded – 55 per cent of people would now back remaining in the EU, compared with 45 per cent for leaving.

The survey also revealed that 50 per cent of respondents said they believed Ms May’s deal, if implemented, would result in a weaker economy. Just 10 per cent said they thought the deal would produce a stronger economy while 22 per cent said “about the same” and 18 per cent replied, “don’t know”.

The poll of 1,655 individuals was conducted on Wednesday and Thursday, meaning some of those surveyed could have seen the alarming analysis of different Brexit scenarios from both the Treasury and the Bank of England.

Outlining worst-case scenarios, Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank, said a no-deal scenario could send the pound plunging, shrink the economy by eight per cent and that house prices could fall by almost a third.

Referring to the findings, Mr Kellner added: “These are significant results, and not just because Remain’s lead is the biggest yet. For the first time, more than one in five Leave voters are having second thoughts.

“While 88 per cent of those who voted Remain two years ago would vote the same way in a new referendum, the equivalent figure for Leave is down to 79 per cent.

“This means that 3.5 million Leave voters are having second thoughts – of whom two million have changed sides and would now vote Remain. (The rest are now don’t knows or would not vote).

“The big majorities among Labour voters both for Remain and a People’s Vote also send a clear message to the party’s MPs about the decisions they will shortly face in parliament.”