Most Britons think Brexit WAS the right thing to do after EU vaccine shambles


Most Britons think Brexit WAS the right thing to do after EU vaccine shambles and a fifth think it has enabled UK to fight Covid more effectively

  • A survey by Redfield and Wilton found 42 per cent believe Leave was right call
  • It is the same 4 per cent margin that swung the referendum result five years ago 
  • It came as reeling EU leaders appeared to target the UK with an export ban 

Public support for Brexit has remained steadfast following the row with the European Union over vaccine supplies, a new poll reveals. 

A survey by Redfield and Wilton for MailOnline found 42 per cent believe the UK was right to vote Leave in 2016, while 38 per cent would have preferred to Remain.

It is the same 4 per cent margin that swung the referendum result almost five years ago, when the electorate was split 52-48 per cent in favour of quitting the bloc.  

The poll of 1,500 adults, of which 21 per cent answered ‘don’t know’, came as reeling EU leaders appeared to target the UK with an export ban on doses. 

A separate Ipsos Mori poll ranked being able to better deal with the pandemic as one of the biggest Brexit bonuses.

Tensions rose as the UK continued to streak ahead with its vaccination programme in comparison to the spluttering rollout on the Continent. More than half of all UK adults have now been inoculated, compared to about 15 per cent across the EU.

Brussels stepped back from the brink last night and issued a joint statement with the UK in which both sides pledged to cooperate.

But the polls came after a fraught chapter in UK-EU relations marked by disputes over post-Brexit trade, vaccines supplies and their efficacy.

A survey by Redfield and Wilton for MailOnline found 42 per cent believe the UK was right to vote Leave in 2016, while 38 per cent would have preferred to Remain

A survey by Redfield and Wilton for MailOnline found 42 per cent believe the UK was right to vote Leave in 2016, while 38 per cent would have preferred to Remain

More than half of all UK adults have now been inoculated, compared to about 15 per cent across the EU

More than half of all UK adults have now been inoculated, compared to about 15 per cent across the EU 

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen herself likened the UK's rapid jab programme to a 'speedboat' compared to Brussels' sluggish 'tanker'

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen herself likened the UK’s rapid jab programme to a ‘speedboat’ compared to Brussels’ sluggish ‘tanker’ 

After coming under criticism, Boris Johnson has won praise for opting out of Brussels’ vaccine procurement scheme, in which the bloc centralised its purchasing power to bulk-buy doses.  

While the UK quickly signed deals with vaccine manufactures, with Pfizer for 40million doses and AstraZeneca for 100million, the EU was much slower to both procure doses and get approval from the regulator for their use.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen herself likened the UK’s rapid jab programme to a ‘speedboat’ compared to Brussels’ sluggish ‘tanker’.

That Britain is out of the EU has been trumpeted by Brexiteers as the reason for the country’s successful vaccination rate. 

The second poll released today by Ipsos Mori found that being able to better deal with the pandemic listed as one of the public’s main benefits of Brexit.

Twenty-four per cent said ‘gaining control of laws’ was the main plus, while 22 per cent singled out ‘being able to respond to Covid-19 better’. 

More than half (58 per cent) said that Brexit has not had any effect on their everyday lives. 

The second poll released today by Ipsos Mori found that being able to better deal with the pandemic listed as one of the public's main benefits of Brexit

The second poll released today by Ipsos Mori found that being able to better deal with the pandemic listed as one of the public’s main benefits of Brexit

The Ipsos Mori survey found that disruption to trade was the biggest gripe people were experiencing since Brexit, identified by 28 per cent of participants

The Ipsos Mori survey found that disruption to trade was the biggest gripe people were experiencing since Brexit, identified by 28 per cent of participants

More than half (58 per cent) said that Brexit has not had any effect on their everyday lives

More than half (58 per cent) said that Brexit has not had any effect on their everyday lives

The Ipsos Mori survey found that disruption to trade was the biggest gripe people were experiencing since Brexit, identified by 28 per cent of participants.

Post-Brexit trade has become a flashpoint since the UK left the EU’s single market in January.

Hauliers have complained of added red tape when transporting goods between Britain and the Customs Union. 

Trade has slumped in the first quarter, but experts have warned it is hard to isolate how much of this can be pinned to Brexit because of the pandemic. 

Britain officially ceased membership of the EU in January 2020, before withdrawing from all of its remaining organs at the start of this year. 

Like the 2016 vote, the Redfield and Wilton poll also bore out a generational divide: the older the respondent, the more likely they were to believe Brexit was the right decision. 

A majority (52 per cent) of over-65s thought Leaving was the better choice, compared to just over a quarter (26 per cent) of 18-24s. 

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