A new poll has shown that 46.6 percent of Brits would vote to leave the EU if a referendum were held today, with just 34.3 per voting to stay in.
The findings by polling company Survation also reveal a huge turnout for an in/out vote with 90.1 percent of people saying they would head out to the polling station, making the margin of victory even larger. This would outstrip the numbers who voted in the Scottish referendum in September.
Amongst those most likely to vote, 48.8 percent of people say they would vote to leave with 16.5 percent saying while they would vote, they did not know which way.
The poll was commissioned by The Freedom Association, whose director Rory Broomfield told the Express: “This survey shows that the increasing demands for Britain to pay more money to the EU has resulted in a resurgence in Euroscepticism within Britain.
“The British people are clearly fed up with picking up bills for EU institutions that remain unaccountable to them and do not act in their best interests.”
UKIP voters are most likely to vote, with 71.7 per cent saying they “definitely” would, leaving 28.3 per cent of people who joined a party whose main raison d’être is leaving the EU possibly not even voting in a referendum their party has worked tirelessly to achieve.
Two thirds of Tory supporters would also vote for an independent Britain with their troops heading down to the polling stations in droves, and only 0.6 per cent saying they would not vote.
The findings are not good news for Labour leader Ed Miliband, with the numbers showing that 44.8 per cent of people who vote for his party supporting ties being cut with Brussels compared to only 42.4 per cent who would vote to remain.
Mr Miliband has so far refused to back an in/out referendum on continued EU membership; a position which could be a real obstacle in his pursuit for possession of Downing Street should he not change it.
UKIP have frequently stated they believe that all parties will offer a referendum in their 2015 General Election manifestos, just as they did in 2010 with the vote on the European Constitution.
This change of stance was urged by veteran Labour backbencher Austin Mitchell, who is stepping down next year and whose seat looks likely to fall to UKIP’s Victoria Ayling.
The Great Grimsby MP said: “The poll doesn’t surprise me. Fewer and fewer people want to be associated with what Europe is turning into. It’s different to what the leadership is saying but it reflects, at least to my mind, that Labour must offer a referendum.”
But a spokesman for Mr Miliband said that Labour would only back a referendum should there be a “future transfer of powers” even though there is a ‘ratchet clause’ in the Lisbon Treaty removing the need for a Treaty change for all but the most dramatic reasons.
During this parliament, there have already been significant transfers of power to Brussels from Westminster, including over Foreign policy and regulations governing the City of London.
UKIP MEP Mike Hookem, who represents Yorkshire where ‘safe’ seats have been threatened by Nigel Farage’s party, said the poll was “more evidence that Labour voters now back UKIP”.
“Between now and the election, watch this support for Ukip grow as Labour voters abandon their old party.”
The Lib Dems, whose leader Nick Clegg was an MEP, said they would continue to back membership of the EU.
They were all but wiped out in the May European Elections where they only retained one MEP, coming behind even the Green party.