Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership on Brexit came under fresh fire today as research revealed voters are split over whether Labour is a party of Remain or Leave.
Not even Labour’s own supporters can agree whether the party is for or against Brexit, a poll by Ipsos MORI for the Evening Standard reveals.
It will pile pressure on Mr Corbyn who was accused of failing seven times to give a simple answer to the BBC’s Andrew Marr yesterday when asked if he was campaigning for leaving or staying in the EU.
Key findings of the national survey include:
- Half the public think a Labour government under Mr Corbyn would keep Britain inside the EU, while 30 per cent think he would quit the bloc.
- The positions are reversed among Labour supporters — with nearly half (46 per cent) saying Mr Corbyn’s party stands for leaving, while 38 per cent think it stands for remaining.
- Half of Labour voters dislike their party’s approach to Brexit — and around four in 10 say they like the Liberal Democrat and Green approaches to the issue. Among the general public, 76 per cent dislike Labour’s approach.
- Eight in 10 people think Mr Corbyn is doing a bad job on Brexit — including 57 per cent of Labour voters.
Labour MP Gareth Thomas said: “This poll underlines the need for Labour to be clearer that we are unequivocally for giving the public a final say. Our strategy is not working.” Fellow MP Bridget Phillipson added: “Our position has been a fudge for far too long, despite the best efforts of Tom Watson and Keir Starmer.”
Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said people typically thought Labour was on the opposite side to them.
“Labour should be worried that its balancing act is turning off some of its voters,” he said.
The findings will fuel concern among Labour MPs in London, who fear they could lose one or more of their four London MEPs in European Parliament elections on Thursday.
Three of Labour’s top four candidates in the capital are strongly pro-Remain, but party chiefs gave the number three slot to Katy Clark, a Corbyn ally who has backed the Labour Against The Euro campaign. In some other regions, such as the South West and Scotland, all of the party’s candidates support a referendum.
Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,072 adults across GB by telephone: May 10-14, 2019. Data weighted. Details at ipsos-MORI.com
