Voters are starting to realise that Brexit will damage our NHS
The findings come ahead of a national Day of Action on the NHS - as Brexiteers try to wriggle out of their '£350m a week' pledge.
Voters believe Brexit will hurt the National Health Service, according to polling for campaign group Best for Britain and Left Foot Forward.
The polling by BMG Research found that 41% believe Brexit will have a ‘negative effect’ on the NHS, compared to just 23% who think it will have a positive effect. 36% of those with a view say it will make no difference.
The findings come ahead of a national Day of Action on the NHS on Saturday.
Young people are most likely to believe our departure from the EU will hurt the health service, with 51% of 18-34 year olds say it will have a negative impact on our NHS.
The news follows a growing Cabinet row in recent days over calls for the money ‘saved’ from leaving the EU to be spent on the NHS, with Defence Secretary Liam Fox the latest to join the fray.
But the polling also reveals that a chunk of Leave voters would back halting Brexit if this became clear. Of those with a view, 11% of Leave voters would change their support to remaining in the EU if the NHS was damaged.
Eloise Todd, CEO, Best for Britain, said:
“Brexit poses substantial threats to NHS staff levels, funding and drug treatment. This should send a shiver down the spine of everyone and this is why we are all campaigning to stop Brexit.
“I worry that the NHS could be opened up to privatisation from foreign firms without any fresh safeguards to replicate EU competition law. The NHS as we know it could be at risk.”
Josiah Mortimer, Editor of Left Foot Forward, said:
“Voters are increasingly aware that Brexit will be a disaster for our NHS. From cutting off recruitment of vital staff, to impeding cooperation on new treatments, separating ourselves from Europe will put our health service under even greater pressure.
“The NHS already appears to be taking a hit from Brexit, with he number of EU nurses and midwives coming to work here from Europe dropping by 89 percent since the referendum.
“As it becomes increasingly clear that the £350m a week pledged by Brexiteers to our NHS was a lie, more and more of those who backed Leave are starting to question the basis of the referendum – and rightly so.”
Action Day events are taking place in:
Reading, Birmingham, Cambridge, Barry, Croydon, Bakewell, Bournemouth, Enfield, Lancaster, Appleby, Greenwich (London), Hammersmith (London), Fulham (London), Notting Hill (London), Hessle, Islington (London), Bromley, Lewisham, Liverpool, Rochester, Newport Pagnell, Leatherhead, Hertford, Salisbury, Edinburgh, Swanley, Sheffield, Shipston on Stour, Streatham (London), Godalming, York, Harrogate, Victoria (London), Harpenden, Uckfield, Isle of Wight, Colchester, Derby, Ashford, Congleton, Norwich, Derby, Brighton, and more.
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