Brexit 12 months on: Theresa May must do better, say Shropshire Star readers
Fewer than one in seven people are happy with the way Theresa May’s government is dealing with Brexit, according to the Shropshire Star’s latest EU referendum poll.
One year on from the vote to leave the EU, we asked our readers a series of questions to gain an insight as to whether their views had changed in relation to the historic decision.
And 55 per cent of those who took part said they would vote to Leave the EU if another referendum was held, with 44 per cent saying they would vote Remain.
Only one in 10 said they had changed their mind since the original vote from June 23 last year, when 52 per cent of the British public backed Brexit.
But there was widespread dissatisfaction with the way the Government has handled the issue over the past 12 months.
Nearly half said they were unhappy with how the Government had dealt with Brexit, with 39 per cent saying it "could do better". Only 13 per cent said they thought Mrs May had done a good job so far.
Just 28 per cent of people said they believed Britain was on course to get a good deal in the negotiations which began this week, and 56 per cent of those who responded felt this month's inconclusive General Election result had made Brexit "less certain".
It came as the official Brexit talks got off to a shaky start for the Government, with Mrs May’s offer on the rights of European citizens living in the UK branded "not sufficient" by Jean-Claude Juncker.
Mrs May's decision to call the election appears to have also led to a loss of confidence in her abilities.
In a result that would have scarcely seemed conceivable a couple of months ago, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn came out as the person Shropshire Star readers most wanted to lead Britain through Brexit.
Former Shropshire schoolboy Mr Corbyn was preferred by 36 per cent of readers, with Mrs May in second place on 36 per cent.
Brexit Secretary David Davis came third, ahead of Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on 11 per cent, Chancellor Philip Hammond on four per cent, and Home Secretary Amber Rudd on one per cent.
The majority – 55 per cent – said they preferred a so-called "hard Brexit", where Britain would be freed of all EU control, while the remainder said they preferred "soft Brexit" where we remained in the single market and subject to the rules of other EU joint bodies.
However, only 42 per cent believed Britain would have left the EU by April 2019.
Approximately 300 readers took part in the survey.
