The majority of Conservative party members in the U.K. prefer no Brexit deal to the one that Prime Minister Theresa May has negotiated, according to a new poll.
The poll, run by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) out of Queen Mary University of London and Sussex University, asked 1,215 Conservative party members if they would prefer to leave the European Union (EU) with no deal, with the proposed deal, or remain in the European Union.
The results released Friday show 57 per cent opted for leaving without a deal, 23 per cent would take May’s deal, and 15 per cent would remain in the EU.
With the choice of either taking May’s deal or leaving with no deal, the results were starker. Sixty-four per cent of Conservative party members chose no deal while 29 per cent would take her deal.
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The poll comes as MPs prepare to vote on May’s deal the week of January 14. The vote was originally planned for before Christmas but was pushed back last minute when it became clear that it would be defeated.
The deadline for the U.K. to leave the EU is March 29.
A no-deal Brexit has come with warnings that there could be steep price increases, shortages of food and medicine, up to 40 per cent tariffs on exports, and the U.K. could enter a severe recession.
A recent open letter to MPs from leaders of 150 universities in the U.K. warned a no-deal Brexit could cause “an academic, cultural and scientific setback from which it would take decades to recover” and could threaten universities’ 21 billion pound contribution to the UK economy.
However, Tory members seem unfazed by these warnings, as 76 per cent of them said they are “exaggerated or invented,” according to the poll.
The Irish backstop is one large sticking point with May’s current deal, which would put the U.K. in a customs agreement with the EU. This would mean the EU could set tariffs and the UK would have to follow them without a say in their determination, which goes too far for pro-Brexit politicians.
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Of those polled, 40 per cent believe the backstop is a reason to reject the deal.
Conservatives even think not having a deal could be a good thing, with 64 per cent of members saying that it could have a positive effect on Britain’s economy in the medium- to long-term future.
The British government is set to launch a publicity drive on the effects of a no-deal Brexit, according to Sky News.
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