The widespread grassroots opposition to David Cameron’s plan to redefine marriage has been revealed by a new poll.

According to the poll over 70 per cent of Conservative Party Constituency Chairmen think the proposals should be scrapped.

Nearly half of the constituency chairmen said they had lost members over the issue, and six in ten said it will cost the party votes.

Unease

Colin Hart, of the Coalition for Marriage (C4M) which commissioned the poll, warned that it reflects “growing unease amongst grassroot Conservatives”.

Mr Hart, C4M’s campaign director, added: “In addition to the 600,000 ordinary people who have signed the petition, a majority of Conservative Party Chairmen, voters and ever increasingly his own MPs believe that these proposals should be dropped.”

Dire

He continued: “I hope the Prime Minister will now listen to and trust the British public when they say that tinkering with the meaning of marriage is not wanted, not necessary and has dire consequences.”

David Cameron has pledged to introduce same-sex marriage by 2015, but the plans have encountered widespread opposition.