More than a third of voters don't believe Brexit will happen

Almost half of Britons polled say there should be a general election before negotiations begin

Demonstrators march outside the Houses of Parliament during a protest aimed at showing London's solidarity with the European Union following the recent EU referendum, in central London, Britain June 28, 2016 (Reuters)

More than a third of voters do not think the UK will definitely leave the EU - despite the referendum result, a poll has found

Of 1,077 people polled by Ipsos MORI for BBC Newsnight, 22 per cent said they did not know whether Brexit would actually happen, and 16 per cent said they believed the UK would remain a member of the EU.

The same poll revealed almost half of voters believe there should be a general election before Britain begins negotiations, so the public can vote on policies for life outside the EU.

More than half of voters – including 67 per cent of people who voted Leave – say the current government and MPs do not reflect the views of the British public towards the EU.

Nine in 10 said they would not change their vote if there were to be a second EU referendum – with only 5 per cent of Leave voters and 2 per cent of Remain voters saying they would vote differently.

Another recent survey showed up to 7 per cent of Leave voters – around 1.2 million people – now regret their choice, but a spokesperson for the Prime Minister said a second referendum was “not remotely on the cards”.

It cames as a leading legal academic said the campaign for the UK to leave the EU was “criminally irresponsible”.

Michael Dougan, professor of European Law at Liverpool University, lambasted the Leave campaign’s failure to define what Brexit would entail, which has led to uncertainty among financial markets and a 31-year-low for the pound sterling.