Brussels, 07/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - An opinion poll has found, for the very first time, that UK voters could vote to leave the European Union in the referendum to be held between now and the end of 2017.
As UK MPs again turned their attention to the draft law on the referendum on Monday 7 September, a survey conducted by Survation for the tabloid Mail on Sunday revealed that 43% of those questioned believed that the United Kingdom should leave the EU, with only 40% wanting the UK to remain a member. The remaining 17% were undecided, AFP reported on Sunday 6 September.
The internet survey of 1,004 people breaks the pattern of previous polls, which all had the pro-EU camp in the lead. Furthermore, according to the poll, 22% of those who backed the UK's remaining in the EU said that that, changing opinion, they “might vote to leave” if the current migrant crisis were to worsen. On this issue, 29% of those surveyed said their country should accept no refugees, by far the best supported response, ahead of the 15% who wanted to take in 10,000.
The previous poll conducted by Survation at the start of July had found that 45% of those questioned wanted to remain in the EU, with 37% wishing to leave and 18% undecided.
Since then, the virulently Euro-sceptical Mail on Sunday points out, the government of David Cameron has agreed that the wording of the question to be put in the referendum should be amended, the initial form of words being thought to be biased towards an answer that would see the UK remain a member of the EU. Rather than ask voters to answer yes or no to the question “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union?”, the new question, “Should the United Kingdom remain of member of the European Union or leave the European Union?”, will allow voters to choose between “leave” and “remain”.
On Monday, UK MPs debated the law organising the referendum. The Cameron government is preparing to table an amendment allowing the referendum to be held only a month after the end of negotiations with its European partners. “Brexit” supporters, i.e. those who want the UK to leave the EU, argue that this timetable would give too great an advantage to those who want to stay in. (Solenn Paulic)