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Half of Britons want second Brexit referendum: Poll

The Union Jack (L), the national flag of the United Kingdom, and the flag of the European Union (Photo by AFP)

Half of Britons would want a second referendum to determine if Britain should exit the European Union (EU) after it was revealed the Brexit divorce bill could be as much as 50 billion pounds ($67 billion).

The Survation poll conducted for The Mail on Sunday showed that 50 percent of British voters thought they had to have a say in the final Brexit deal with the EU, compared to the 34 percent who opposed the idea.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May is facing growing pressure from within her own Conservative Party to reveal the true cost of leaving the EU and settling the Brexit bill.

The findings come amid speculation that May looks set to give in to the EU’s Brexit demands, including paying more than 50 billion pounds to settle London’s financial obligations to Brussels.

According to the poll, 57 percent of British voters oppose the payment against the 20 percent who favored it.

When asked about the right amount for the divorce bill, only 11 percent said 50 billion pounds was acceptable, while 17 percent backed a maximum of 10 billion pounds, with a similar number suggesting 25 billion pounds.

Asked about the Brexit negotiations between the UK and the EU, 43 percent of the participants said the bloc had been more successful than May’s government, while 16 percent thought otherwise.

Conservatives lawmakers in Parliament, as well as former cabinet ministers, say the time has come for the premier to be completely open on how much Brexit will cost.

May's inability to reunite a cabinet riddled with division about the country’s overall Brexit has added to the pressure.

EU leaders have been increasingly frustrated about divisions in May's cabinet over Brexit, saying they were still unsure what the UK wanted, even after five rounds of negotiations.

The slow progress of Brexit talks has fueled fears that May's government may collapse, or worse that London may fail to strike a withdrawal agreement with Brussels before its formal exit from the EU on March 29, 2019.

May has threatened time and again that she would take the UK out of the bloc without a deal if the talks collapse.

The Survation poll found that while 40 percent of voters thought paying a divorce bill was worth getting a trade deal with the EU, 35 percent said she should walk away with no deal.


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