Britain wants Brexit more than ever with a majority of voters still wanting to leave the EU and almost a third backing a No Deal split, a new poll has suggested.
A YouGov survey of more than 1,600 people revealed that some 28 per cent of the electorate is in favour of a No Deal divorce from Brussels.
And 13 per cent of people support a split on the terms secured by Theresa May while 16 per cent want a softer Brexit.
The poll, conducted for The Times, suggests that some form of Brexit is favoured by 57 per cent of voters. That proportion is higher than the 52 per cent in the 2016 referendum, although that question was a straight choice between Leave and Remain.
Some 43 per cent of people want Britain to continue with its membership of the EU in the latest poll.
Meanwhile, the latest YouGov poll has the Conservative Party and The Brexit Party neck and neck.
Both parties were backed by 22 per cent of voters when they were asked who they would vote for at a general election.
A YouGov survey of more than 1,600 people revealed that some 28 per cent of the electorate is in favour of a No Deal divorce from Brussels
Boris Johnson (pictured in London today) said he would deliver Brexit by October 31 ‘do or die’ as he categorically ruled out a further delay to the UK’s departure from the EU
But Jeremy Hunt (pictured campaigning in Chelmsford today) has suggested he would consider another Brexit delay if more time was needed to agree a deal with the EU
Labour was preferred by 20 per cent of voters, just one per cent ahead of the Liberal Democrats on 19 per cent.
The Westminster voting intention poll appears to highlight the importance of Brexit to both of the main parties.
Tories believe that if they are able to deliver Brexit by the current October 31 deadline then they will be able to win back many of the Eurosceptic voters who have jumped ship to support Nigel Farage’s party.
Many in Labour believe that if they adopt an unambiguous pro-Remain stance they will be able to persuade Europhile voters disaffected by the party’s current position to ditch the resurgent Lib Dems who have won support with their ‘Stop Brexit’ pledge.
A failure by the Tories to deliver Brexit and a failure by Labour to clarify whether it wants to leave or remain will put both parties on course for devastating losses at a potential snap general election.
Many in Westminster believe an early general election is possible if Theresa May’s successor fails to secure a better deal from the EU and Parliament again moves to block No Deal.
Boris Johnson, the favourite to win the keys to Number 10, categorically ruled out a further Brexit delay yesterday as he said he would meet the October 31 deadline ‘do or die’.
But Jeremy Hunt, his challenger, has suggested he would agree to a further delay if more time was needed to secure a deal.
A separate poll published yesterday found 59 per cent of Tory members believe the new PM should try to renegotiate the current deal but if agreement isn’t reached take the UK out of the bloc without a deal in October.
Some 24 per cent of the Tory grassroots said they would prefer the next leader to stop negotiations and focus on preparing for No Deal.
Just six per cent of Conservative Party members believe the next PM should seek to renegotiate and seek a further Brexit delay if a deal is not agreed by Halloween.
Meanwhile, Brussels is engaged in an extraordinary war of words with Mr Johnson over his Brexit plans – accusing him of talking ‘bullsh**’ and going over old ground.
The Tory front runner has dramatically ramped up the rhetoric vowing to face down the EU and leave without a deal if it will not bend.
He insisted there should be a ‘standstill’ agreement on trade terms in the divorce package, with the Irish border issue being sorted out after the UK legally leaves.
EU sources immediately dismissed the ideas, saying the two sides had ‘been here before’ but Mr Johnson’s supporter Dominic Raab warned: ‘If we end up on WTO terms, it will be the EU’s choice.’
Nigel Farage (pictured yesterday at Lord’s Cricket Ground) and his Brexit Party are tied at the top of the polls with the Tories despite the fact it is only a matter of months old.
Doesn’t Boris wash his SOCKS? Johnson is spotted repeatedly wearing the same £5.99 ‘King of the World’ British museum hosiery
Boris Johnson has been pictured wearing the same pair of socks on three days in the last week.
The Tory leadership favourite was seen sporting the distinctive hosiery at a hustings event in Birmingham on Saturday.
He also wore identical footwear in footage of interviews on Monday night yesterday – raising questions about whether he has run out of clothes after being forced to flee the south east London flat where he has been living.
The £5.99 socks bought from the British Museum shop depict King Ashurbanipal, who was ruler of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.
Tory leadership favourite Boris Johnson was seen sporting distinctive socks at a hustings event in Birmingham on Saturday
The socks were on show on Monday night when Mr Johnson was interviewed by the BBC
At the time of his reign between 669 and 631 BC, it was the largest empire in the world and stretched from Cyprus in the west to Iran in the east. Its capital Nineveh was the world’s largest city.
King Ashurbanipal called himself ‘king of the world’.