The campaign for Britain to leave the European Union led in a fifth opinion poll published over the past 24 hours, showing Prime Minister David Cameron is foundering in his efforts to persuade voters to reject a so-called Brexit.
The online survey of 2,497 adults carried out by TNS June 7-13 found 47 percent backing “Leave” and 40 percent for “Remain.” It comes after four phone and online surveys released Monday by ICM, YouGov Plc and ORB showed leads of between 1 point and 7 points. Sterling fell 1.1 percent to $1.4115 as of 3:45 p.m. in London.
With the June 23 referendum now just over a week away, Cameron’s repeated warnings of the economic risks of a Brexit have failed to sway voters. The premier has kept a low profile this week to allow the opposition Labour Party to make a series of interventions in an attempt to persuade their supporters, who are crucial to the outcome, of the merits of continued EU membership.
Earlier Tuesday, France’s largest insurer warned that there’s an “extremely high” probability of a Brexit. Neither Britain nor the EU as a whole is prepared for the negotiations that would follow a vote to leave, and investors would face “a true landscape of uncertainties,” Axa SA Chief Executive Officer Henri de Castries said at a conference in Paris. Other countries could be encouraged to seek special treatment, threatening “to accelerate the unraveling of Europe,” he warned.