Twice as many Brits want PM Theresa May to replaced before Brexit than ‘those who want her to stay’
Our poll reveals that 43 per cent of voters want a change of leadership, while a third also said they would be in favour of Britain walking out of talks with Brussels altogether
NEARLY twice as many voters want the Prime Minister replaced before Brexit than the number who want her to stay, a new poll has revealed.
A survey by pollsters ORB found 43 per cent of Brits want a change of leader to takeover Brexit negotiations - compared to just 23 per cent who support Theresa May remaining in charge.
It also finds a third of voters would be in favour of Britain walking out of talks with Brussels altogether and start preparing full-tilt for a no deal Brexit.
But 35 per cent oppose pulling out of negotiations at this stage.
Remarkably, support for a change in PM before Brexit won backing across all age groups.
Half of those aged between 25-34 want to see a change - with just 15 per cent backing her to stay.
The group most in favour of her staying were the oldest voters - those aged over 55.
Men were more likely than women to want a change with 48 per cent of male voters backing someone else to take charge of Brexit negotiations compared to 39 per cent of women wanting Mrs May gone.
The findings will embolden Brexiteers who are increasingly rallying around David Davis to be installed as an interim Prime Minister to negotiate a Canada-style exit from the EU.
Others in the party still want Boris Johnson to take over.
A senior Brexit source said the poll dispels the myth that only Mrs May can lead our exit talks.
The source said: “The public are looking for much more leadership and a much tougher approach to the EU.
“Their sense of frustration is very evident in the findings of this poll.
“Across the whole demographic is a net positive in favour of somebody else leading the negotiations.
“Sun readers will want a politician in charge who would take a much tougher, more robust approach to the negotiations.
“Although people are broadly sympathetic to the Prime Minister because it’s a difficult situation, their patience is running out now and they want someone who is more able to stand up for the UK’s interests with the EU negotiators.”
Men were also more likely to back Britain pulling out of negotiations than women.
Some 38 per cent of men said the UK should leave the talks now - one point higher than the number of men who want us to stay in the room.
But a third of women want us to carry on negotiating, compared to 27 per cent who want British negotiators to walk out.
Older voters are more likely to want us to pull-out and start preparing for a no deal Brexit, with 37 per cent of over 65s backing this option.
Tory MP David Jones said the findings showed widespread support among the public to dare to walk away from the negotiating table and start properly preparing for a no deal Brexit, which would see us trading with countries on World Trade Organisation tariffs.
He said the results of the poll strengthens the argument for the PM to ditch her Chequers proposal and opt for a Canada-style trade deal with the EU.
And he said the Government should drop all plans to comply with EU demands to agree a backstop to avoid the return of the Irish border.
Mr Jones told The Sun: “I think that it’s very obvious that a World Trade Organisation deal - which a no deal is referred to - would be highly desirable.
“We would not be obliged to pay the £39 billion-plus that the EU is demanding, we would be in a position to strike free trade deals around the world, which we would not be able to do under the Prime Minister’s Chequers proposals.
“And I can well understand that people would want that freedom to trade with the rest of the world which we would not be able to do with Chequers.”
He added: “An even better deal would be a Canada-style free trade agreement, which the EU has already offered us.
“The only reason we can’t proceed with that is because of the Northern Ireland backstop which the government should be ruling out completely.
“We don’t need a backstop - it’s something the EU has dreamt up and for which there is no real justification.”
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