UK poll shows shift in favour of exit from EU

A majority of Britons want to leave the European Union, according to a new opinion poll released on Tuesday.

Fifty-two per cent of 2,000 people polled by ORB International last week said they thought Britain should leave and 48 per cent said it should remain.

There was no option for undecided. In October, 53 per cent favoured remaining in the EU, down slightly from 55 per cent in September, according to ORB, which conducts surveys for the Independent newspaper.

ORB said it was the first time in its six months of polling on the same question that a majority of Britons had opted to leave the European Union.

The survey saw a strong divide between generations, with 69 per cent of respondents aged 18 to 24 wanting to remain in the EU. Only 38 per cent of those aged 65 and over want to remain.

The strongest support for EU membership was in Scotland and Wales, while in England support was below 50 per cent in most regions, the poll showed.

Pro-EU campaigners say that the refugee crisis has begun shifting opinion against membership, though they argue the Paris attacks may help band sympathetic Britons to the region more closely.

The poll was carried out after the attacks which left 130 people dead.