London: Support is growing for a referendum on the final terms that the government agrees for Britain leaving the European Union, with far more people backing a second Brexit vote than opposing it, an ICM opinion poll for The Guardian found. About 47 per cent of some 5,000 respondents said they backed the idea of another referendum, with 34 per cent opposing it, after a majority of 52 per cent of British voters opted for Brexit in June 2016. The poll found increased support for another referendum from both “Brexiteers” and pro-EU voters, with about one-quarter of Leave voters backing the idea. The government has ruled out a second referendum.
In a surprise move earlier this month, former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage and Leave EU co-founder Arron Banks suggested that a second referendum could be needed because Prime Minister Theresa May had “betrayed the nation” in Brexit negotiations. A second vote “would kill off the issue for a generation once and for all,” Farage said. The centre-left Liberal Democrats, who oppose Brexit, are also campaigning for a second referendum, arguing that more people could vote against leaving the EU now that the risks are clearer. Former Labour prime minister Tony Blair and former Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg have joined the pro-EU politicians calling for a second vote. — DPA
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