Theresa May was accused of causing “self-harm” to the nation by former Tory premier Sir John Major as an exclusive poll revealed just one in five of the public think she can get a good Brexit deal.
Her predecessor echoed the EU leader Donald Tusk by saying the public would “neither forget or forgive” those responsible for a Brexit that would hit the poor hardest.
Mrs May flew to Brussels this morning in an attempt to rescue her stalled withdrawal agreement by pleading for changes to the controversial Irish border backstop.
But exclusive research by Ipsos MORI for the Standard revealed that the public has lost confidence in her ability to pull it off.
Moreover, over half think that she is guided less by the national interest than party or personal interests, and half the public think she should postpone Brexit, due on March 29, if she cannot get a deal.
In other key developments today:
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Jeremy Corbyn was hit by a backlash after he make a landmark offer to support a Brexit agreement in return for changes, including a customs union. Mrs May’s effective deputy David Lidington said he hoped to have talks with members of the shadow cabinet to break the impasse.
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Business group the CBI gave its strongest warning yet of the damage to the powerhouse service sector if Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal, saying London’s vital media, law and finance companies would be hard hit.
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Donald Tusk, the European Council president meeting Mrs May, was called on to apologise by the head of the Green group at the European Parliament for his comment that a “special place in Hell” should be set aside for Brexiteers.
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Mrs May was greeted on her arrival at the Brussels headquarters of the EU by European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.
Government sources indicated she was not likely to ask for a specific change to the backstop today, but for an agreement in principle that it should be changed to prevent it lasting indefinitely.
But Sir John, in a speech at Newcastle Cathedral, said he had never known any Government deliberately inflict such damage to the nation.
“It is the first time in our long history that any British Government has embraced a policy of self-harm, despite their own advisers warning that it will make our nation weaker – and our people poorer,” he said.
He said the poorest and young people stood to lose most. “In advance of Brexit, they fear for their future,” he said. “Post Brexit – if they turn out to be right – they may neither forget nor forgive those responsible.”
Woundingly for the Premier, most people think Mrs May puts her party’s interests or her own interests ahead of the national interest. A third think she puts party before country and a quarter thinks she puts herself first, while 36 per cent believe she makes the country’s interests her priority.
Just 35 per cent of people think Mrs May is providing “strong leadership” on Brexit, while half say she is weak.
Only 21 per cent of the public feel confident she will get a good deal. An overwhelming 77 per cent majority think she will fail, which is up from 69 per cent in December. A third trust May to make the right decisions, while nearly two-thirds do not.
Public confidence has tumbled since last March when 37 per cent thought Mrs May would pull off a good deal. Among Conservative voters it has plunged over 11 months from 67 per cent to a mere 36 per cent.
Despite the turmoil, the Conservatives and Labour remain level-pegging on voting intentions, at 38 per cent each, with the Lib Dems on 10 per cent.
The research found the public gloomy about Britain’s economic prospects for the year ahead, with 57 per cent expecting things to get worse, and just 14 per cent believing they will improve.
Just a third of the public say they are satisfied with the way Mrs May is doing her job as PM.
Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI said: “After Parliament’s rejection of her deal, public confidence to get a good Brexit deal is as low as we’ve seen, and trust in her judgement has also fallen.
“Even among her own party supporters confidence is low, although they at least trust that she is trying to do the right thing for the country.”
*Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,005 adults across GB by phone, from February 1 to 5. Data are weighted. Details at www.Ipsos-MORI.com.
