Only half of Leavers say it’s acceptable to prorogue parliament, finds poll

The poll, which has been weighed to be representative of the population, asked 5734 people in the wake of the news that Boris Johnson has asked the Queen to prorogue parliament.

The move has been slammed by Remainer MPs and campaigners as an attempt to reduce parliamentary time to discuss Brexit and produce legislative challenges to prevent a disastrous no-deal scenario.

The YouGov poll reflects that view, with 73% of Remain voters saying prorogation is not acceptable.

But perhaps more surprising is the level of support Boris Johnson’s shock move has amongst Leave voters.

Only 51% of Leave voters polled said they thought it was acceptable, suggesting many Leavers do not agree with the “do or die” Brexit that Johnson is pursuing.

A quarter of them even stated it was not acceptable, while 24% said they didn’t know.

Overall, only 27% of people polled – regardless of their attitude to Brexit – agreed with Johnson’s move.

Twenty-six percent say they don’t know, while 47% said it was unacceptable.

The poll’s exact wording was: “The government have set a date for the new Queen’s speech in October, meaning that the present session of parliament will be ‘prorogued’ and parliament will not meet between mid-September and mid-October, in the run up to Brexit. Do you think it is or is not acceptable for the government to stop parliament from meeting during this period?”