Hard Brexit: Sunderland poll shows 70 percent support leaving EU without deal

In the British city that delivered one of the most emphatic votes in favour of Brexit a poll has found that 70 percent of people want the UK to quit the European Union – even without a withdrawal deal.

“Should Brexit proceed without a deal with the EU?” The Sunderland Echo newspaper asked in a poll and more than two thirds of respondents said they supported the move, the paper reports.

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Sunderland shocked pundits and political anoraks alike by voting overwhelmingly in favor of Brexit in the 2016 referendum, with 61 percent of voters opting for ‘Leave’. The latest poll, which received 1,300 votes, suggests opinions have hardened over the intervening 2.5 years as the Brexit drama has unfolded.

Julie Elliott, Labour MP for Sunderland Central who voted ‘remain’ in 2016, said she is “very well aware” of her constituents views.

“What is clear from the correspondence I have received, and conversations I have had with my constituents over the last few months, is that Parliament should reject the Prime Minister’s deal,” she said.

Reports across UK media on Tuesday suggest that Prime Minister Theresa May’s withdrawal deal will be resoundingly defeated in the crunch vote in the House of Commons.

Early predictions estimate Tuesday night’s vote will result in one of the worst defeats in British parliamentary history. The deal was originally scheduled to be put before the Commons in December, but was pulled at the last minute and postponed for five weeks due to fears it wouldn’t pass.

The deadline for Britain to withdraw from the EU is March 29. If the vote fails to go through, May will have to declare a ‘plan B’ within three days and Labour have said they will call a vote of confidence in the Tory government.

Labour party policy on Brexit states that if they fail to secure a general election, then all other options are on the table, including a second referendum.

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