Boris Johnson’s pledge to take the UK out of the EU by 31 October hangs in the balance as MPs consider whether to pass his deal in time.
The Withdrawal Agreement Bill, published last night, is expected to clear its second reading this evening, but the prime minister may struggle to have his fast-tracked timetable approved.
“If the motion is rejected, the chances of the Government passing the legislation by the end of the month will be vanishingly small,” says The Telegraph.
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Jeremy Corbyn and some key former Tories believe MPs need more time to scrutinise the legislation, but Johnson has threatened to abandon the bill and push for a general election to avoid further delay.
But what do the people want? Here is what the latest polls reveal.
What do voters think of Johnson’s Brexit deal?
Three separate surveys, from ComRes, Panelbase and Survation, found that between 30% and 40% did not know anything about what had been agreed.
In all three surveys, more people supported the deal than opposed it. The difference was most apparent in the ComRes poll, in which 40% backed the deal and 31% did not.
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How should MPs vote?
A survey carried out last week by YouGov found that 41% of people thought MPs should approve the deal, compared with 24% who wanted MPs to reject it.
Among Leave voters, support for the deal rose to 67%. Brexiteers even preferred Johnson’s agreement to a no-deal Brexit, by 48% to 33%.
“There is, however, an enormous ‘but’,” says YouGov’s lead data journalist Matthew Smith. “Many Leave voters are expressing views on what should happen with the deal having also admitted they don’t know enough about it to form an opinion.”Those voters were polled before the Withdrawal Agreement Bill was published last night.
“It may be some voters feel the agreement is the best that can be achieved in the circumstances,” writes Sir John Curtice, professor of politics at Strathclyde University, in an article for the BBC. “Either way, so far at least, it is difficult for either the Government or the opposition parties to argue most voters clearly back their point of view on the deal.”
How would the public vote in an EU referendum today?
The most recent poll of polls by What UK Thinks: EU, run by independent agency NatCen Social Research, puts Remain on 52% and Leave on 48%, with undecideds taken out of the equation.
The Financial Times notes that in the most recent 50 polls by BMG Research and Survation, “Leave has not held a single lead”.
