More Welsh voters would vote to rejoin the European Union than those who would vote against in a referendum, a poll for ITV Wales has found.
Some 44 per cent said they would opt back in to the EU if the vote was cast, opposed to 38 per cent who would say no. Close to one in twenty (19 per cent) are now undecided on the matter.
Wales narrowly voted to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum and although most voters have not changed their mind, there has been a slight swing to a pro-EU position.
Since the vote billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a Leave campaigner who promised to build his new off-roader in a factory in Bridgend, has decided to shift its production to France and Leave-voting Llanelli was left reeling after a major manufacturer upped sticks due to Brexit.
The ITV poll found that attitudes towards the EU are closely linked to party loyalty.
Eight in ten of those who voted Conservative at the 2019 General Election would vote against rejoining, versus 69 per cent of Labour supporters who would vote in favour, as would 74 per cent of Plaid Cymru supporters.
On this week’s Sharp End, Mark Drakeford said there wouldn’t be a mandate for a referendum.
“My view on the referendum question is this. If a party in an election proposes a referendum, secures a majority, of course there should be a referendum because that then has won the democratic approval of people of Wales.
“If that isn’t the position there will be no mandate for anybody to go ahead with a referendum because parties not in favour of a referendum will be in the majority.
“The key thing is whether you can agree on a programme, not a political fix, not a deal between parties. It’s the hard work that goes into finding a programme for government that you can agree on if you can and then putting it to parties to see whether it can be endorsed.”
