Poll shows Corbyn out of step with Labour members over Brexit

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the United Kingdom's official opposition, the Labour Party, appears to be seriously out of step with rank-and-file party members who, according to a new poll, want him to take a harder line against the UK leaving the European Union.

Ever since the referendum in 2016 on whether the UK should remain a member of the bloc – and the close decision by voters to leave – Corbyn has said he respects the result and supports the UK's exit from the bloc. He has not completely ruled out calling for a second referendum on the issue, but has focused on the potential to influence the debate by forcing a snap general election. And in an interview he gave before Christmas, he said he would carry on with Brexit, even if he won such an election.

Now, the poll of party members conducted by YouGov for the Economic and Social Research Council-funded Party Members Project found Labour Party supporters overwhelmingly want a second referendum on Brexit, something The Daily Mail newspaper claims Corbyn has been "desperately resisting".

The survey found 78 percent of Labour Party members want Corbyn to throw his support behind calls for a second referendum. And almost a quarter believe he has not done so because he is secretly in favor of Brexit. The poll also found 56 percent of rank-and-file Labour Party members – some 88,000 people –were considering leaving the party over the issue.

Professor Tim Bale, of Queen Mary University London, told Sky News: "Our survey of Labour's grassroots clearly shows that Corbyn's apparent willingness to see the UK leave the EU – a stance he has recently reiterated – is seriously at odds with what the overwhelming majority of Labour's members want."

Labour MP Phil Wilson, a supporter of the People's Vote campaign, said: "Labour's leadership now has a huge opportunity to be at the front of a popular campaign against the government's Brexit deal and make sure the public are given the right to have the final say."

The Evening Standard Newspaper noted Corbyn was known as a Eurosceptic during his 36 years as an MP.

He again refused to call for a second referendum when challenged by reporters on Wednesday, saying the real issue was the fact that MPs had been forced to wait until January for a chance to vote on the proposed Brexit deal negotiated by Prime Minister Theresa May.

"This vote should have taken place more than a month ago," he said. "This government is just trying to run down the clock and create a sense of fear between either no deal or May's deal.Well, both of those options are completely unacceptable."

The YouGovpoll surveyed 1,034 Labour members and a sample of 1,675 British adults.