Yesterday Survation conducted an online poll of 1023 people aged 18+ in the UK on behalf of the Daily Mail to find out their opinions on the group of seven MPs who left the Labour Party to sit as a new Independent Group.

State of the parties (GB only)

CON 42%

LAB 37%

LIB DEM 10%

GREEN 2%

UKIP 5%

SNP 3%

OTHERS 2%

State of the parties (with a new centrist party opposed to Brexit)

CON 39%

LAB 34%

LIB DEM 6%

NEW CENTRISTS 8%

GREEN 2%

UKIP 5%

SNP 3%

OTHERS 1%

EU referendum voting intention

Imagine there was a referendum tomorrow with the question “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?” How would you vote?

Leave: 48% (+3)

Remain: 52% (-3)

Summary of questions on the new Independent Group

Seven Labour MPs have announced they are leaving the Labour Party to set up a new ‘Independent Group’ They cited Brexit, bullying and Jeremy Corbyn’s attitude towards antisemitism and international relations among the reasons they had decided to resign. They said they now represented “mainstream” politics. Do you think the MPs were right or wrong to take this course of action:

The MPs were right to take this course of action: 56%

The MPs were not right to take this course of action: 20%

Don’t know: 24%

Consider the following political parties in regards to antisemitism and place them on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means there are low levels of antisemitism among the political party’s members and elected representatives and 5 means there are high levels of antisemitism with the party’s members and elected representatives: UKIP:

1: 11%

2: 9%

3: 19%

4: 15%

5: 17%

Don’t know: 29%

Consider the following political parties in regards to antisemitism and place them on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means there are low levels of antisemitism among the political party’s members and elected representatives and 5 means there high levels of antisemitism with the party’s members and elected representatives: Conservative:

1: 19%

2: 17%

3: 16%

4: 11%

5: 9%

Don’t know: 28%

Consider the following political parties in regards to antisemitism and place them on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means there are low levels of antisemitism among the political party’s members and elected representatives and 5 means there are high levels of antisemitism with the party’s members and elected representatives: Labour:

1: 8%

2: 8%

3: 16%

4: 18%

5: 28%

Don’t know: 22%

Consider the following political parties in regards to antisemitism and place them on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 means there are low levels of antisemitism among the political party’s members and elected representatives and 5 means there are high levels of antisemitism with the party’s members and elected representatives: Liberal Democrat:

1: 20%

2: 17%

3: 19%

4: 7%

5: 4%

Don’t know: 34%

Which of the following statements best describes your view?:

An MP who leaves the party for which they were elected as an MP should resign and trigger a by-election: 57%

An MP who leaves the party for which they were elected as an MP should remain as an MP: 22%

Don’t know: 20%

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?: The Labour Party pursues policies that would weaken the UK’s national security:

Strongly agree: 31%

Somewhat agree: 23%

Neither agree nor disagree: 19%

Somewhat disagree: 10%

Strongly disagree: 6%

Don’t know: 11%

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?: The Labour Party has been taken over by the hard Left:

Strongly agree: 30%

Somewhat agree: 26%

Neither agree nor disagree: 21%

Somewhat disagree: 6%

Strongly disagree: 3%

Don’t know: 13%

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? UK politics would benefit from a new political party that has more moderate views and policies than either the Conservative of Labour Party:

Strongly agree: 21%

Somewhat agree: 31%

Neither agree nor disagree: 23%

Somewhat disagree: 8%

Strongly disagree: 6%

Don’t know: 10%

Who would you prefer as Prime Minister?:

Jeremy Corbyn: 25%

Chuka Umunna: 28%

Don’t know: 47%

Who would you prefer as Prime Minister?:

Jeremy Corbyn: 29%

Theresa May: 48%

Don’t know: 22%

Who would you prefer as Prime Minister?:

Chuka Umunna: 27%

Theresa May: 44%

Don’t know: 29%

Which of the following do you think is the primary reason for the seven MPs to resign from the Labour party?:

The leadership of Jeremy Corbyn: 43%

The Labour Party’s stance on Brexit: 17%

Reports of anti-semitism in the Labour Party: 23%

Other (please state): 2%

Don’t know: 15%

Which of the following statements best describes your view?:

The seven MPs who have left Labour have acted for reasons of conscience: 54%

The seven MPs who have left Labour have acted for reasons of political ambition: 27%

Don’t know: 20%

The new independent group of MPs specifically mentioned the Labour Party’s approach to Brexit as one of the reasons they were leaving the party. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “MPs in the Conservative Party who oppose Brexit and the way their party is handling the Brexit process should join the independent group of former Labour MPs to form a new party”?:

Strongly agree: 17%

Somewhat agree: 23%

Neither agree nor disagree: 26%

Somewhat disagree: 10%

Strongly disagree: 8%

Don’t know: 15%

If current Conservative MPs who oppose Brexit left the Conservative Party and joined the new independent group of MPs to form a new political party, would you be more or less likely to vote for this party than if a new party was made up only of former Labour MPs?

More likely: 19%

Less likely: 24%

Neither more nor less likely: 38%

Don’t know: 19%

If the independent group of former Labour MPs becomes a new political party with candidates standing for Parliament in the next General Election, do you think any of the following outcomes is more or less likely than if there was no new political party?: The Labour Party wins an outright majority:

More likely: 16%

Less likely: 43%

No difference: 22%

Don’t know: 18%

If the independent group of former Labour MPs becomes a new political party with candidates standing for Parliament in the next General Election, do you think any of the following outcomes is more or less likely than if there was no new political party?: The Conservative Party wins an outright majority:

More likely: 28%

Less likely: 25%

No difference: 28%

Don’t know: 19%

If the independent group of former Labour MPs becomes a new political party with candidates standing for Parliament in the next General Election, do you think any of the following outcomes is more or less likely than if there was no new political party?: No party wins and outright majority:

More likely: 31%

Less likely: 17%

No difference: 30%

Don’t know: 23%

If the independent group of former Labour MPs becomes a new political party with candidates standing for Parliament in the next General Election, which of the following do you think would make the best leader of the group?:

Chuka Umunna: 30%

Luciana Berger: 8%

Chris Leslie: 7%

Don’t know: 55%

If the independent group of former Labour MPs becomes a new political party with candidates standing for Parliament in the next General Election, would you be more or less likely to vote for it if Tony Blair was the leader rather than one of the MPs who formed the group?:

More likely: 17%

Less likely: 45%

Neither more nor less likely: 26%

Don’t know: 12%

Which do you think best represents the people of Britain?:

The Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn: 23%

The new independent group of MPs: 40%

Don’t know: 37%

All seven MPs who have set up the new Independent Group support holding a second referendum on the terms of Britain’s exit from the EU When the UK Government’s negotiations over the terms of Britain’s exit from the EU are complete, would you support or oppose a People’s Vote – a referendum – asking the public their view?:

Support: 47%

Oppose: 35%

Don’t know: 18%

Survation conducted an online poll of 1,033 people aged 18+ living in the UK. Fieldwork was on the 18th February 2019.

Full data tables and methodology can be found here.

Survation is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.