In a huge boost for the Brexit campaign, a new ORB survey has signalled the Leave camp currently holds a seven-point lead over those wanting the UK to remain in the EU.
The poll, on behalf of the Daily Telegraph, shows the battle for Britain’s future is currently deadlocked, with Remain on 47 per and Leave on 48 per cent.
But, when the study is adjusted to take into account people’s likelihood to vote, the Brexit campaign would win by 52 per cent to 45 per cent.
RELATED ARTICLES
- Now even top Labour MP Andy Burnham admits: I’m betting on Brexit
- Boris Johnson dismisses ‘Project Fear’ as ‘Millennium Bug-style’ panic
With UK voters set to head to the polls on June 23, the research also found around one-third of undecided voters (31 per cent) said the “potential for uncontrolled or increased immigration” from the EU was their “biggest hesitation” stopping them from backing Remain.
David Cameron’s election guru Sir Lynton Crosby, who masterminded the Tories’ general election win but is not involved in the EU referendum campaign, noted how the poll showed how Brexit supporters were “more motivated”.
Sir Lynton said the EU referendum was “not currently important enough” to motivate Remain voters but warned the Leave camp their supporters “engagement and motivation may tail off” if they “do not believe their vote will make a difference”.
Writing for the newspaper, the strategist advised both campaigns to “to raise the importance of the referendum outcome and demonstrate to their voters that there really is the potential for Leave to win”.
But Sir Lynton, who was handed a knighthood by the Prime Minister last summer, warned Downing Street the ‘Project Fear’ campaign to scare voters into shying away from Brexit might backfire - as voters see risks on both sides.