Poll of grassroots Tories shows Chequers plan is 'dead as a dodo'

A poll of grassroots Conservative members published today has shown 69% do not support the government’s Brexit plan.

The poll, carried out by the website ConservativeHome, showed that just 26% of members support the plan, showing the difficult Theresa May is likely to have in pushing it through.

The site’s editor, Paul Goodman, said: “If the survey is right, the prime minister’s pro-Chequers summer offensive, complete with the wooing of association chairmen and letters to party members, has made next to no difference at all: indeed, the position for her has slightly worsened, if anything.

“At any rate, the survey once again is remarkably consistent.

“It may of course be that it is overstating the extent of activists’ hostility to Chequers, but it generally tends to be in the same territory as the occasional YouGov polling of them.”

The previous month’s figures showed that 29% supported Chequers and 67% did not.

Eloise Todd, CEO of the anti-Brexit campaign group Best for Britain, said that Conservative grassroots members were “delivering a pretty strong message to the prime minister”.

She said: “They are telling her that her Chequers plan is as dead as a dodo.

“The idea that seven out of ten members, whether they voted Leave or Remain, think this is a bad deal should be a wake up call for Downing Street.

“It’s time to give people a chance to push the stop Brexit button and give people a final say on the deal.”