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Thursday 20 August 2015 5:02 pm

EU referendum: British voters don’t believe no means no

By: James Nickerson

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British voters do not believe "no" will really mean no when it comes to the European referendum, according to a new survey.

The poll, by YouGov, found 41 per cent of voters think if Britain votes to leave the European Union in a referendum, instead of leaving the bloc straight away, it's likely there would be a second referendum after further negotiations with the EU.

This runs against what people want: 45 per cent said Britain should leave the EU without any second referendum if "Out" is the most popular answer, against 29 per cent who favour a second referendum.

Only 22 per cent of British people believe Prime Minister David Cameron is trying to make major changes to the UK's relationship with the EU. Meanwhile, 36 per cent think he's attempting to make “modest but significant changes”. 

British people also overwhelmingly think Cameron will recommend people vote in favour of staying in the EU, no matter what the outcome of the renegotiations are.

Cameron has embarked on a lengthy renegotiation of Britain's relationship with the bloc, including multiple tours of Europe during which he has attempted to ally his European counterparts.

Read more: Prime Minister David Cameron is “delighted” with the way EU renegotiations are going so far

After having originally said in September that he will recommend an "out" vote if he does not get the changes he hopes for, it was revealed in June that Cameron had diluted his demands to get other European leaders to agree to his proposed changes.  

Read more: Leaked document shows David Cameron wants to keep Britain in the EU by highlighting “risky” impact of UK exit

Most Britons want to stay inside the EU, with the Yes vote leading by seven points on 44 per cent, compared to No’s 37 per cent.

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