Brexit Pessimism Increases Amongst Leavers

Grey clouds are gathering as we get closer to the final split with the European Union and as a result the British people are slowly becoming more negative about Brexit than ever before with Leave voters increasingly uncertain about how Brexit will affect their lives.

This is quite clearly because as the information emerges over time of what impact Brexit may have there is a dawning realisation to many – the truth was not always out there to make a rational decision.

The latest ICM tracker poll for the Guardian, published yesterday, states that a growing number of British people now believe that Brexit will have a negative economic and social impact on life in Britain.

So, according to the poll:

 

• 45% of Brits now say Brexit will have a negative impact on the British economy, with just 30% saying it will have a positive impact.
• 39% of Brits say Brexit will have a negative impact on life in Britain, with just 32% saying it will have a positive impact.
• 32% say Brexit will have a negative impact on their personal finances, compared to just 14% who believe it will have a positive impact.

 

What is interesting is that the findings in this poll are the most negative ICM have found since they began tracking public opinion on Brexit since the EU referendum in 2016.

To be fair, the shift of opinion seems to be driven largely by Remain supporters who have become ever more negative about Brexit since the vote.

However, ICM has also found Leave voters becoming increasingly unsure about its impact.

 

This is hardly surprising when people in both camps learn that arch-Brexiters are quietly jumping ship or preparing for the worst.

Extreme Brexiteer, Jacob Rees-Mogg who is a partner in SCM Capital and earns £14,500 a month for 30 hours’ work in a sanctions-restricted Russian bank now has more (business) money invested outside the UK than in it.

The same goes for one of the most senior Brexiteers of all – Lord Lawson. He categorically stated that leaving the EU would not affect Britons’ fundamental rights but might mean a little bit of extra annoying paperwork. Lawson, clearly, does not actually believe that as he has just applied for his carte de séjour in France which guarantees those rights. In others words, he has applied for residency outside the United Kingdom.

 

ICM’s Alex Turk said in a statement.

“Across all three statements, there’s an indication that the increase in overall negativity could be attributed to increasing negativity among those who voted remain in 2016, while those who voted leave look increasingly unsure about the likely impact of Brexit, answering ‘don’t know. This last finding – of possible increasing uncertainty on the impact of Brexit among leave voters – is something to watch out for over the coming months. If Remainers become increasingly certain that Brexit is a bad idea, while leavers waver more and more, then interesting times lie ahead.”

The findings come as pro-EU groups mobilise in an attempt to keep Britain in the EU.

 

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