Two-thirds of voters oppose a 'blind-date Brexit'
By Jamie Doward in The Observer
Originally published by High Peak Liberal Democrats
Poll comes as MPs and peers threaten to oppose leaving EU unless Theresa May releases details of deal sought
Only a third of UK voters support Brexit unconditionally, according to a poll that suggests a widespread wish for the government to share the terms of the UK's departure from Europe before it embarks on the process.
The findings of the ICM poll will please the growing number of MPs and peers calling for the government to clarify the terms of the exit - a demand that puts them on a collision course with Theresa May, who has made it clear that she is determined to begin the departure process in March.
Last week, Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader, said his eight MPs and more than 100 peers would oppose Brexit unless the terms of the final deal were put to a second referendum. A small number of Labour MPs have said they share Farron's concerns.
"Article 50 would proceed, but only if there is a referendum on the terms of the deal. And if the British people are not respected then, yes, that is a red line and we would vote against the government," Farron said.
The new poll - for online campaign group Avaaz - finds that 33% of voters support Brexit unconditionally. Almost a quarter (23%) oppose it unconditionally, 32% say it depends on the terms of the deal and 12% are undecided.
"Theresa May is wrong if she thinks she has public support for a blind-date Brexit," said Alex Wilks, Avaaz's campaign director. "Two-thirds of people in the country don't back Brexit at any cost, and the prime minister must therefore make her plan fully transparent to parliament and the public." The High Court ruled last month that the government could not begin the formal process to leave the EU - triggering Article 50 - before it had allowed parliament a vote on the issue.
The court said that once article 50 was triggered it was irreversible. As a result, UK citizens would lose rights granted to them under the 1972 European Communities Act. The High Court said that only parliament - not the government - had the right to repeal a law it had passed.
The government plans to contest the ruling in the supreme court. The Guardian reported yesterday that the government may argue that the article 50 proceedings can be reversed at any time before the two-year Brexit process is completed.