Leave voters go cold on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, study finds

Voters across the political divide are now not keen on the accord negotiated by the government

Voters across the political divide are going cold on Boris Johnson's Brexit deal as its implications become clearer, a new study has found.

Leave and Remain voters have both become more likely than they were in January to say the UK has got a bad deal with the EU.

The study, by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), found that just 12 per cent of people believed Britain and got a good deal in August – a decline from 21 per cent who took the same view in January.

Opinion has hardened among remain voters from 66 per cent who now say a bad deal was procured, compared to 53 per cent in 2021.

But among Leave voters, too, the balance of opinion has tilted away from approval – with Brexiteers no longer more likely to say a good deal has been had.

In January 35 per cent thought Mr Johnson had got a good deal compared to 22 per cent thinking it was a bad one; now 36 per cent say it is bad against 22 per cent who say it is good.

Eminent political scientist John Curtice, who oversaw the study, said the results showed people were going off the deal – but for different reasons.

“The Brexit deal is being criticised from two directions – those opposed to the policy in principle and those who dislike the way it has been implemented in practice," said Sir John, a professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde.

"People on the Remain side of the debate are relatively united in their dislike of an outcome whose principal objective is one that they oppose in the first place. Meanwhile, some on the Leave side feel that the UK is still tied too closely to the EU’s orbit, while others would have preferred a softer Brexit.

"And it’s those with strong views on Brexit – the partisans on both sides – who are proving most difficult for the government to satisfy. As a result, the nation is still divided over the outcome of the Brexit process.”

It comes after a series of problems blamed on the deal, from issues for British fish exporters to shortages of lorry drivers and crops rotting in the fields.

The government is currently trying to renegotiate parts of the withdrawal agreement relating to Northern Ireland.