General election 2019: Most Brits are confused by Labour’s Brexit stance
Two-thirds of British voters are confused about Labour’s Brexit policy, according to polling data released today in the run up to the December general election.
Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party has ruled out a no-deal Brexit and committed to “get[ting] Brexit sorted within six months”.
But the strategy is not working for voters, a Yougov survey out today showed.
Read more: Pro-Remain Londoners are turning their backs on Corbyn’s Labour, poll finds
With 70 per cent of Brits saying Brexit is the biggest issue facing the UK, a whopping two-thirds of British voters said they are “unclear” about Labour’s Brexit position.
Just 21 per cent told Yougov that Labour’s stance made sense to them, with Corbyn’s non-committal stance leading to a lack of clarity among voters.
Furthermore, 65 per cent of Remainers could not work out Labour’s thinking on Brexit, and 57 per cent of people who backed Labour in 2017’s snap general election found the party’s latest stance unclear.
Corbyn today said Labour’s Brexit position “really isn’t complicated” despite so far not picking between Leave and Remain.
Instead Labour has vowed to hold a second public vote on Brexit, putting up a “credible” Leave option as well as Remain.
The politician said Labour would decide on its position at a future party conference ahead of the referendum.
Speaking in Harlow today, Corbyn said: “People sometimes accuse me of trying to talk to both sides at once in the Brexit debate, to people who voted leave and remain. You know what? They’re right.
“Why would I only want to talk to half the country? I don’t want to live in half a country.”
Read more: These are all the MPs stepping down at December’s general election
In comparison, 57 per cent of voters said Boris Johnson’s Tory party was clear about its Brexit policy, compared to 29 per cent who are confused about it.
The Prime Minister had said he would rather “die in a ditch” than fail to deliver Brexit on 31 October.
Having missed that deadline, Johnson has now committed to leaving the EU on 31 January 2020, the latest deadline since Brexit was delayed beyond its original 29 March deadline earlier this year.
Nigel Farage, who has returned to lead the Brexit party, is set to field 600 candidates to fight the Tories in every seat. Johnson had refused to sign up to a Leave pact with his rival.
Read more: Election latest: One party has a seven-point lead at the top of the polls
Voters said Farage’s party has the clearest stance on Brexit, with 68 per cent of voters saying they understood it, while 74 per cent of Remainers and Leavers respectively said it was clear.
Nearly three in five Brits believe the Liberal Democrats’ Brexit stance is also clear. Jo Swinson’s party is running on a ticket to block Brexit.
Voters also criticised Labour on a variety of other policy areas. Nearly half of Brits believe Labour has failed to make clear its policies on the environment, immigration, education and the economy.
Corbyn launched his party’s general election campaign last week on a populist note, attacking “greedy bankers” and billionaires.
His remarks prompted City bigwigs Crispin Odey and Mike Ashley to hit back at the Labour leader.
Read more: Boris Johnson feels ‘deep regret’ for missing his 31 October Brexit deadline
Labour, which has come under fire for its claims that the US would seek to privatise large swathes of the NHS in a trade deal with Britain, was also seen as unclear on healthcare.
Almost half (45 per cent) of Brits said they did not understand Labour’s stance. Meanwhile, 39 per cent were unclear where the Tories stand on the NHS.
One third said they did not understand the Conservatives’ immigration policy, while 36 per cent and 32 per cent respectively were not clear on the party’s education and economic stances.
Main image credit: Getty Images