Support for a no-deal Brexit is growing in the face of the EU's refusal to help salvage Theresa May's deal, according to a new poll.
A survey by ComRes found that 44 per cent of the public now believe the UK should leave without a deal if Brussels refuses to make any further concessions - a six point rise from January. Less than a third (30 per cent) disagreed.
It came as 74 senior Tory activists, including more than 50 association chairman, told Mrs May that Conservative voters "do not fear a no deal exit" and "just want Brexit delivered."
Public swinging behind no deal Brexit, as Tories and DUP urge May to invoke plan B
Edward Malnick, Sunday political editor; Peter Foster, Europe editor
10 March 2019
The Sunday Telegraph
Support for a no-deal Brexit is growing in the face of the EU's refusal to help salvage Theresa May's deal, according to a new poll.
A survey by ComRes found that 44 per cent of the public now believe the UK should leave without a deal if Brussels refuses to make any further concessions - a six point rise from January. Less than a third (30 per cent) disagreed.
It came as 74 senior Tory activists, including more than 50 association chairman, told Mrs May that Conservative voters "do not fear a no deal exit" and "just want Brexit delivered."
Today, Steve Baker, the senior Brexiteer, and Nigel Dodds, the DUP's Westminster leader, state that it is now "inevitable" that the "unchanged" deal will be voted down on Tuesday - predicting a three figure defeat.
In remarks backed by Nicky Morgan, the pro-Europe former education secretary, they warn of "political calamity" if Brexit is delayed in a vote this week.
Mr Baker and Mr Dodds urge the Prime Minister to now use the £39 billion divorce bill to secure the "safety net" of an implementation period of up to 33 months following a March 29 exit, allowing time for further preparations.
On Saturday night, Robert Buckland, the solicitor general, who campaigned for Remain, backed the proposal as a plan B, stating that it offered a more “organised way forward than a mere extension to Article 50 that may well have no clear purpose”.
A Downing Street source insisted Mrs May and negotiators were "intensely focused on making progress" so the UK could leave with a deal. An RAF plane was on standby to fly the Prime Minister to Brussels in the event of a breakthrough. But both sides privately conceded that expectations of a meaningful breakthrough were "extremely low".
Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the Commons, accused the EU of "playing games". Mrs May now faces the prospect of a second defeat when MPs vote on her deal on Tuesday.
Downing Street aides were considering making the vote conditional on the Government securing its proposed concessions - in an attempt to strengthen Mrs May's hand with the EU.
MPs fear the current deal could leave the UK trapped in the so-called backstop - the insurance plan for the Irish border.
Mrs May is under pressure to hold a free vote on removing the option of a no-deal exit on March 29, when MPs decide on the issue on Wednesday.
Tobias Ellwood, a pro-Remain minister, insisted that such an exit was "not in the spirit of the party manifesto ... or indeed the referendum outcome."
It "would be damaging to our economy, our security and our international reputation," he said. But another minister said removing the option of walking away from the negotiating table on March 29 would leave the Government with "no cards to play", adding that the EU could "dictate any terms they like", including a 12-month extension costing billions of pounds.
The ComRes poll commissioned by Brexit Express, a pro-Leave group founded by Jeremy Hosking, a major Tory donor, found the proportion of voters agreeing that the UK should leave without a deal if the EU refuses to make any more concessions reached 44 per cent last week.
A similar ComRes poll in January had put the figure at 38 per cent.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politic...exit-backed-public-poll-finds-growing-number/
A survey by ComRes found that 44 per cent of the public now believe the UK should leave without a deal if Brussels refuses to make any further concessions - a six point rise from January. Less than a third (30 per cent) disagreed.
It came as 74 senior Tory activists, including more than 50 association chairman, told Mrs May that Conservative voters "do not fear a no deal exit" and "just want Brexit delivered."
Public swinging behind no deal Brexit, as Tories and DUP urge May to invoke plan B
Edward Malnick, Sunday political editor; Peter Foster, Europe editor
10 March 2019
The Sunday Telegraph
Support for a no-deal Brexit is growing in the face of the EU's refusal to help salvage Theresa May's deal, according to a new poll.
A survey by ComRes found that 44 per cent of the public now believe the UK should leave without a deal if Brussels refuses to make any further concessions - a six point rise from January. Less than a third (30 per cent) disagreed.
It came as 74 senior Tory activists, including more than 50 association chairman, told Mrs May that Conservative voters "do not fear a no deal exit" and "just want Brexit delivered."
Today, Steve Baker, the senior Brexiteer, and Nigel Dodds, the DUP's Westminster leader, state that it is now "inevitable" that the "unchanged" deal will be voted down on Tuesday - predicting a three figure defeat.
In remarks backed by Nicky Morgan, the pro-Europe former education secretary, they warn of "political calamity" if Brexit is delayed in a vote this week.
Mr Baker and Mr Dodds urge the Prime Minister to now use the £39 billion divorce bill to secure the "safety net" of an implementation period of up to 33 months following a March 29 exit, allowing time for further preparations.
On Saturday night, Robert Buckland, the solicitor general, who campaigned for Remain, backed the proposal as a plan B, stating that it offered a more “organised way forward than a mere extension to Article 50 that may well have no clear purpose”.
A Downing Street source insisted Mrs May and negotiators were "intensely focused on making progress" so the UK could leave with a deal. An RAF plane was on standby to fly the Prime Minister to Brussels in the event of a breakthrough. But both sides privately conceded that expectations of a meaningful breakthrough were "extremely low".
Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the Commons, accused the EU of "playing games". Mrs May now faces the prospect of a second defeat when MPs vote on her deal on Tuesday.
Downing Street aides were considering making the vote conditional on the Government securing its proposed concessions - in an attempt to strengthen Mrs May's hand with the EU.
MPs fear the current deal could leave the UK trapped in the so-called backstop - the insurance plan for the Irish border.
Mrs May is under pressure to hold a free vote on removing the option of a no-deal exit on March 29, when MPs decide on the issue on Wednesday.
Tobias Ellwood, a pro-Remain minister, insisted that such an exit was "not in the spirit of the party manifesto ... or indeed the referendum outcome."
It "would be damaging to our economy, our security and our international reputation," he said. But another minister said removing the option of walking away from the negotiating table on March 29 would leave the Government with "no cards to play", adding that the EU could "dictate any terms they like", including a 12-month extension costing billions of pounds.
The ComRes poll commissioned by Brexit Express, a pro-Leave group founded by Jeremy Hosking, a major Tory donor, found the proportion of voters agreeing that the UK should leave without a deal if the EU refuses to make any more concessions reached 44 per cent last week.
A similar ComRes poll in January had put the figure at 38 per cent.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politic...exit-backed-public-poll-finds-growing-number/
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