Majority of Britons willing to leave European Union: Poll
Most Britons are willing for their country to leave the European Union (EU), a new opinion poll shows.
The survey, conducted by polling firm, Survation, and published by the Mail newspaper on Sunday, suggested that 53 percent of the respondents want to quit the 28-nation bloc, while 47 percent like to stay.
The poll, which excluded 20 percent of voters who were undecided, came ahead of a referendum on British exit from the EU (Brexit) promised to be held by the end of 2017.
A total of 1,004 people participated in the study, which was conducted online on January 15 and 16.
Over a third of the respondents said last November’s terror attacks in Paris, which claimed the lives of at least 130 people, and recent sexual assaults in the German city of Cologne made them more likely to vote to leave the EU.
Last Survation’s poll published in September 2015 indicated that 49 percent were in favor of staying, and 51 percent voted for leaving when undecided voters were excluded.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has said he would campaign in favor of remaining in the EU, but he has been pressing for restrictions on EU migrants’ access to welfare payments in the UK, increased powers for London, and the ability to avoid closer political integration.
EU membership has long been a contentious topic in Britain. Eurosceptics, who believe the UK would be better off outside the political and economic union, seek the UK withdrawal from the EU.
However, pro-Europeans warn the move would not only hurt the economy but could possibly trigger the break-up of the kingdom by prompting another Scottish independence vote.
In a referendum held on September 18, 2014, Scots voted 55-45 percent to preserve the 307-year-old political union with England.
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