Voters are turning against Brexit as they lose faith in Theresa May’s handling of the negotiations, a new poll shows.
The proportion of people who disagree with leaving the EU has reached a high of 47 per cent – a record 7 points ahead of the 40 per cent who still back the decision.
The figure has leapt three percentage points in just one week, as the cabinet fails to agree on an exit strategy – and amid stark warnings about the chaos from leaving with no deal.
The 40 per cent who told YouGov that the Brexit vote was the right one was also down three points and is now at the lowest level recorded.
Significantly, no fewer than 62 per cent of voters said the government was handling Brexit negotiations badly, with just 23 per cent backing ministers.
Only 81 per cent of those who backed Leave in 2016 said they still believed it was the right decision - with 9 per cent now saying it was wrong.
The People’s Vote campaign seized on the findings as bolstering the case for voters to be given a further referendum on the eventual Brexit deal.
“The Government is making a shambolic mess of Brexit and the British people know it,” said Gareth Thomas, a Labour MP and campaign supporter.
“They’re fast losing confidence that the prime minister is going to come back from the negotiations with anything other than a bad deal.”
And Caroline Lucas, the Green MP and backer of the anti-Brexit Best for Britain campaign, said: "It's no wonder so many people are turning against Brexit, as the government's reckless handling of the process gets worse by the day.
“We are being driven towards a Brexit that will damage our economy, put our environment at risk and lock us into an uncertain future - and people are increasingly seeing Brexiteers promises unravel.”
The findings come as the prime minister is poised to break her promise to publish “ambitious and precise” plans for Brexit this month, after more Cabinet infighting.
A detailed white paper – designed to put the UK on the front foot in the troubled talks – is now not expected to appear until after a crunch EU summit at the end of June.
The document is said to still be “riddled with red ink”, with the prime minister reluctant to confront warring Cabinet ministers over controversies including future customs rules and the Irish border.
Meanwhile, The Sunday Times revealed that civil servants had warned of a “Doomsday Brexit” – if no agreement is reached - that would create shortages of medicine, fuel and food.
The 47 per cent who told YouGov the Brexit decision was wrong equalled the highest figure since the tracker poll began in August 2016.
Some 73 per cent of Labour voters and 83% of Lib Dems said it was a mistake to leave the EU, while 69 per cent of Conservative voters said it was right.
