Exclusive: Hardcore Remainers swing towards Liberal Democrats from Labour

Support for Labour among anti-Brexit Remain voters has swung dramatically to the Liberal Democrats, a survey of readers of The New European has shown.

The poll, of more than 1,300 respondents, compares how people voted in the 2015 General Election with how they intend to vote next month. It suggests the Liberal Democrats will double their share of the vote in this significant section of the population, while Labour’s will halve.

Two thirds (66.6%) said they would be voting Lib Dem on June 8, with Labour on just 22.3%. This represents a huge swing since 2015, when 43.9% voted Labour, and 29.4% Lib Dem. Meanwhile, support for the Conservatives has almost evaporated, from 9.3% in 2015, to just 0.4% of readers saying they will vote Tory next month.

Readers were also asked whether they would vote for any party which promised another EU referendum, with 62.8% saying they would. The Liberal Democrats are currently the only major party to make such a pledge. However, it seems most people have conceded the chances of a second referendum are low. Just 9.3% think there will be another poll.

The New European Editor Matt Kelly said: ‘To put this in context, the respondents to this survey are readers of the most pro-EU newspaper in the country. So while it’s massively skewed, it’s also a very interesting take on what passionate Remainers are thinking as they weigh up choices in this General Election.

‘We had plenty of anecdotal evidence that there was something of a shift of support from Labour to the Lib Dems but I was astonished at the massive swing. I think this demonstrates that for a proportion of the electorate, Brexit is an issue that transcends traditional political affiliation and Tim Farron’s clarity is evidently trumping Jeremy Corbyn’s foggy position.’