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Regional daily whose readers favoured Brexit re-runs EU poll

A regional daily which found 80pc of its readers would vote to leave the European Union in a pre-referendum poll is re-running the survey to see if their minds have changed on the issue.

The Express & Star, Wolverhampton, has launched the survey on its website to mark six months since the June vote in which voters came out in favour of the United Kingdom leaving the EU.

In March, a poll by the E&S showed four out of five readers intended to vote Leave but despite the result of its pre-vote poll, the E&S remained neutral on the issue throughout campaigning.

In the actual referendum, 62.6pc of people within the city of Wolverhampton voted in favour of Brexit.

Last week HTFP reported that a poll run by the Sunderland Echo had revealed 61pc of readers now favoured staying in the European Union – the same percentage of people in the city who had voted for Brexit in June.

A similar poll marking six months since the referendum has also been launched by the Leicester Mercury.

The E&S covered the referendum result with a special edition on 24 June

The E&S covered the referendum result with a special edition on 24 June

In an editorial announcing the second poll, the E&S wrote: “Nobody expected Brexit to happen overnight, and history will judge David Cameron’s resignation as an irresponsible, if not cowardly act. Theresa May has had to pick up the reins, and it has been no easy task.

“She has had to take on the embittered rump of the civil service, the highly politicised and pro-Europe BBC, as well as disingenuous rebels within her own party. But what about you? How would you vote if the likes of Nick Clegg and Tim Farron ever get their way and a second referendum is put before the electorate?

“It was always feared that if the country delivered the ‘wrong’ verdict, Brussels would attempt to do everything it could to reverse the decision. Since the referendum all manner of steam-rolling tactics and bluster have been used in a bid to get the masses to have second thoughts about Brexit.

“Back in June the people of the Black Country and Staffordshire voted overwhelmingly to leave the EU. But have you changed your mind in the ensuing six months?”

4 comments

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  • December 20, 2016 at 12:04 pm
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    A completely pointless exercise whatever the outcome, just like the Sunderland paper which claimed people who voted Brexit had now changed their mind. How many General Election polls (those that actually got it right in the first place) would come out different six months after the result? That’s why we don’t have elections every six months, otherwise we’d be voting in new governments twice a year. I didn’t agree with Cameron winning the last election but I don’t recall newspapers running a “what if the vote was held now” six months later. Whatever your views on Europe just let the result stand and get on with it.

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  • December 22, 2016 at 2:52 pm
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    I don’t think it’s a “pointless exercise”. The Brexiteers maintain that Brexit must go ahead no matter what, regardless of how much damage it does, because it is “the will of the people”. If the people now clearly have changed their minds, they can’t just ignore that. And among the readership of the E&S, support for Brexit has now dwindled to less than half apparently (38% against 80% in their March poll).

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  • December 22, 2016 at 5:28 pm
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    In addition to the newspapers mentioned above, the Plymouth Herald also did a poll recently. Result: : 61% Remain, 39% Leave. The reverse mirror image of a prereferendum poll and the actual result in that region. The Birmingham Mail: 69% Remain, 31% Leave. In both cases, a shift of around 20 points to Leave. In the ongoing Shropshire Star poll, Leave is still winning, but has lost about 14 points to Remain. Clearly, this is the winter of Brexit discontent.

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