YouGov has surveyed more than 5,000 people who supported Labour at the last election across the party’s heartland regions, about its decision to back “a new public vote on whether Britain should leave on the deal negotiated or stay in the EU”.
The poll shows that 75% of Labour’s across Yorkshire and the Humber, who expressed an opinion, say they support the party’s new policy.
And more than a third of voters across the region (35%) say it makes them feel more favourable towards the party, compared to just 15 per cent who say it made them feel less favourable.
And If there is a People’s Vote on Brexit, with a choice between staying in the EU or leaving on the terms negotiated by the Government, then Labour’s voters across Yorkshire and the Humber would support staying in the EU by 82 to 18%.
The YouGov poll was carried out across the North East, North West, East Midlands, West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber and Greater Manchester.
Some Labour MPs who are pro-EU but represent Leave areas have previously expressed concern about a backlash from voters in their constituencies.
But the poll shows that the fears that Labour risks alienating millions of voters from its heartland areas by backing a People’s Vote, are unfounded.
And In a warning to a minority of Labour backbenchers who have said they are tempted to vote for the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal, just 14 per cent of the party’s heartland voters say they want their MP to back the proposed terms for leaving the EU.
The regions are home to some of the UK’s biggest manufacturers. Earlier this month, the Midlands based airline FlyBMI collapsed, blaming Brexit. The aerospace firm Airbus, which employs thousands of people across the North West has called the government’s handling of Brexit a “disgrace” and said it could quit the UK If we leave the EU. And Nissan has announced that it is switching planned production of its new X-Trail model from Sunderland to Japan.
Nearly three quarters of Labour voters polled by YouGov also say Brexit is to blame for the recent decisions by Nissan to cancel production of the X-Trail in Sunderland. And by a margin of 10 to one – 70 per cent to seven per cent - these voters said they believed more jobs would be lost if Brexit went ahead.
The poll also revealed deep pessimism among Labour’s voters in these regions towards their prospects if Brexit goes ahead.
- 11 times as many believe living standards will decline than believe they will improve.
- 13 times as many believe taxes will go up than those who think they will go down.
- Six times as many think the NHS will get worse than think they will get better.
- Six times as many think their children will be worse off than those who think they will be better off
And the survey also refutes claims that Labour voters in these regions are prepared to accept such damage to cut immigration. More than two thirds – 68 per cent – said it was more important to maintain frictionless free trade than control immigration with just 17 per cent disagreeing.
Hannah Burrows, who is a spokesperson for the People’s Vote campaign in Yorkshire said:
““Jeremy Corbyn has done the right thing by backing a People’s Vote and this poll shows that the majority of Labour voters in our region back this decision. Labour voters across Yorkshire understand that Brexit will harm their livelihoods, job prospects, businesses and the NHS, and that the very reasons why people voted to leave in 2016 won’t be addressed by leaving the EU.”
Peter Kellner, the former President of YouGov, said:
“The myth that Labour voters in the party’s heartlands favour Brexit is just that - a myth. Those who voted Labour in 2017 in the Midlands and North favoured Remain by two-to- one in 2016, support Remain by three-to-one today; and, if given a referendum choice between Remain and Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement, back Remain by four-to-one.
“That explains why such big majorities of these Labour voters want a new public vote and approve of Labour’s new policy.
“This survey also suggests that Labour’s heartland supporters are less hostile to immigration than is commonly thought. By four-to-one they say it is more important to be able to trade freely with the rest of Europe than to curb the number of people coming to settle in Britain.”