‘Chilling’ Brexit survey finds voters believe violence and protests ‘price worth paying’

A majority of leave and remain voters in Scotland, England and Wales believe that violence towards MPs and violent protests in which people are badly injured are “likely to occur” if Brexit takes place, a new YouGov survey has found.

The poll found 60 per cent of Scottish leave voters and 53 per cent of Scottish remain voters believe violence towards MPs is a “price worth paying” for either leaving or remaining in the EU.

Further, a majority of remain voters across England, Scotland and Wales, think “protests in which members of the public are badly injured are a ‘price worth paying’ to stop Brexit and remain in the EU – 56 per cent in Scotland, 57 per cent in England and 57 per cent in Wales.

A larger majority of leave voters said they thought protests in which members of the public were badly injured were a “price worth paying” to achieve Brexit – 62 per cent in Scotland, 69 per cent in England and 70 per cent in Wales.

The YouGov survey of Scottish, English and Welsh voters, titled the Future of England, was commissioned by The University of Edinburgh and Cardiff University.

It also found two-thirds of Scots, or 61 per cent, believed that Brexit was likely to lead to a break-up of the UK, followed by 52 per cent in England, and 47 per cent in Wales.

Both sides said they were willing to see “substantial change to the union” to get their own way with Brexit.

“Remain voters are particularly likely to believe that Brexit will lead to the breakup of the UK (around three quarters in Scotland, England and Wales believe this) but similar proportions of leave voters believe staying in the EU will undermine faith in the union,” the survey found.

Survey co-director Professor Ailsa Henderson, from The University of Edinburgh, said the poll “confirms just how much the Brexit debate has polarised the electorates in Britain”.

“These findings show that polarisation is reshaping how we argue with one another, and what we argue about, but could reshape the union as well,” she said.

“Individuals might profess an attachment to the union, but Brexit has revealed most in Britain to be ambivalent unionists who now see it as expendable to get their own way on Brexit. Because this holds for both Leave and Remain voters, it confirms just how much the Brexit debate has polarised the electorates in Britain.”

Fellow co-director Professor Richard Wyn Jones said: “It’s not often that one finds oneself shaken by research findings, but in this case it’s hard to not be genuinely shocked - not only by the fact that so many think that violence is a likely consequence of Brexit, but that so many on either side of the Brexit divide seem to think that such events might be ‘worth it’ in order to secure their preferred outcome.”

“Given that we appear to be on the brink of another general election in which further polarisation could be a deliberate campaign strategy for some parties, these findings should give all of us pause for thought and underline the importance of responsible and measured debate,” he said.

Scottish Labour MSP Anas Sarwar said the results of the survey were “chilling”.

“It is horrifying and deeply upsetting to think that people believe violence against MPs is a ‘price worth paying’. Violence can never be justified, no matter what is at stake in our politics,” he warned.

“Amid rising prejudice and division, it is incumbent on us all to honour Jo Cox’s memory and focus not on the things that divide us, but on the things we have in common.”