Polling guru finds claims of ‘buyer’s remorse’ over Brexit are just ‘wishful thinking’ from angry Remainers
Polls suggest British people want a 'compromise deal' with the EU giving a lot of access to the Single Market and some control over immigration
VOTERS are showing little sign of "buyer's remorse" over the choice they made in the EU referendum, according to a political polling expert.
Abstainers may have a "degree" of regret but most of the public are content with the decision they took at the ballot box on June 23, Professor John Curtice said.
After analysing a range of polls carried out in the wake of the result he found people have become more "realistic" about the impact Brexit will have on migration levels and NHS spending.
And while the politicians begin to discuss what they want from a Brexit deal, he found there is "quite an appetite" for a compromise exit deal that gives the UK a lot of access to the EU Single Market and some control over immigration.
Speaking at King’s College London, he said: "Some of the expectations about the consequences of Brexit for the level of immigration have been somewhat toned down.
"Before the referendum, over half the public expected the level of immigration to fall as a consequence of Brexit.
“Now, however, that number has fallen to around 45%.
"So there are perhaps, somewhat realistic expectations of the consequences of Brexit."
Vote Leave produced billboards during the campaign that said: "Let's give our NHS the £350 million the EU takes every week" and the message was splashed across the side of the campaign’s bus.
This pledge was heavily attacked by Remain campaigners who said it was a lie.
But before the referendum 40% of voters believed Brexit would have a positive impact on the NHS.
This has since dropped to 26%, YouGov research highlighted by Professor Curtice found.
He said: "Most people just don't think it is going to make a difference.”
And he said only around a third of voters wants a second referendum and "virtually all of them" are remain voters.
"Not much evidence of buyer's remorse," Professor Curtice said.
He added: "That means the UK is still divided pretty much down the middle over the arguments over the referendum."
His findings come as a survey by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) found companies are also ignoring the pre-referendum Project Fear scaremongering.
Instead they are planning a hiring spree with 22% of businesses surveyed planning to take on permanent staff over the next three months.