With Parliament preparing to decide on Tuesday the fate of Prime Minister Theresa May‘s deal to leave the European Union, an increasing number of Britons seem less convinced that Brexit is a good idea.
A recent survey conducted Jan. 10-11, 2019 by YouGov, an international market research and data analytics firm based in the U.K., showed that 36 percent of respondents prefer to have another referendum to sort the matter out and decide whether to accept the May-EU deal or remain in the European Union.
The research that polled about 1,800 adults in the country also revealed that 31 percent of respondents said Britain should simply leave the EU in the absence of an agreement. Of those surveyed, 11 percent say there should be another vote in Parliament to try to get the government deal approved, while 16 percent said they simply didn’t know what should be the government’s next move.
Tuesday’s vote in Parliament was scheduled after May postponed a decision in Parliament in December. May’s deal with the EU was finalized in November and has been heavily scrutinized, drawing criticism from her political opponents as well as inside her Conservative Party. In order for the agreement to be enforced, Parliament needs to approve it, yet all signs show that legislators are more likely to turn down the deal.
[READ: Europeans More Favorable to EU, Survey Finds]
The United Kingdom is set to leave the European Union on March 29, even in the absence of a deal, which many observers worry will cause economic disruption chaos along the Northern Ireland border. More speculations about the possibility of staying were fueled after May’s proposal failed to convince lawmakers. A new referendum is not entirely necessary, as Parliament itself has the option of overturning the 2016 vote results and remain in the European Union. Referendums in the U.K. are not legally binding.
The British voted in June 2016 to leave the EU, a result that stunned political observers. White, working-class voters who comprise the base of the left/center Labor Party — a party that historically supported the EU — turned the tide of the 2016 referendum results.
More from U.S. News
Europeans More Favorable to EU, Survey Finds
Brexit Clock Approaches Midnight for Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn
The Unlikely Brits Who Caused a Revolution
British Tilt Toward Seeking a New Brexit Vote, Survey Shows originally appeared on usnews.com
