Brexit: Majority of country now think Britain should remain in the EU, new poll finds

Brexit may not be the Middle East, but whatever happens next week in Britain will affect the rest of the world. This is what the latest poll says, as polled by the Independent newspaper.

A majority of the country now think Britain should remain inside the European Union, according to a new poll released days before the critical Brexit vote in parliament.

The exclusive research for The Independent shows that, as of this month, 52 per cent favour staying in the trading bloc.

The data from pollsters BMG Research reveals support for remaining has grown month by month since the summer, and broke past 50 per cent in December as the complex realities of Brexit were brought home to the country.

The poll also revealed that almost half of people think the withdrawal agreement settled by Theresa May is a "bad deal" for Britain, with around as many saying MPs should reject the deal outright when they take the critical decision on Tuesday.

The BMG Research study lays waste to any hope that a concerted publicity drive, which has seen Ms May and her ministers tour the country to persuade people of its merits, has been a success.

Instead it shines a light on the deep divisions that still exist, with none of the immediate alternative paths beyond Ms May's plan – a second referendum, a Norway-style relationship or no deal – enjoying majority support.

It came as close May ally Amber Rudd publicly backed the Norway option as her preferred route, should Ms May's strategy come to naught.

In a further development ex-European Commission president Romano Prodi said Brussels could renegotiate the deal if MPs vote against it, creating the opportunity for Ms May to seek further concessions.

Work and pensions secretary Amber Rudd backs Theresa May's Brexit deal because 'it works in the National interest'

When BMG asked some 1,500 respondents, "should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union, or leave the European Union", 52 per cent said "remain", 40 per cent said "leave", six per cent said they did not know and one per cent refused to say.

The remain option has been in the high 40s most of this year, but from September to October it rose one point and then another point to 49 per cent in November, meaning it rose three points in December to its current level.

When respondents were asked whether they believed the withdrawal agreement and political declaration on the future relations secured by Ms May are a "good deal" or a "bad deal", 49 per cent chose the latter.

Just over one in ten, 13 per cent, said it was a good deal, while 23 per cent said it was "neither good nor bad" and 15 per cent said they did not know.

When asked whether MPs should back or oppose the deal, 43 per cent said it should be rejected by parliament, 26 per cent said it should be accepted and 31 per cent said they did not know.