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A majority of people in Wales expect the United Kingdom to break apart within a decade as a result of Brexit, according to our new poll.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is under pressure to demand a new independence referendum and our survey shows that only 45.3% of respondents think the UK will not have splintered within 10 years.

Wales might vote to stay in the EU if it got another chance

More than half of those in Wales who took part in the Brexit referendum in June (52.5%) wanted the UK to leave the EU. But our polling suggests that if the vote was held again a majority of Welsh people might back staying in the 28-member union.

It found that 13.2% of people who voted No now want the UK to stay in the EU. This could translate to a Remain vote of 51.3% in Wales.

The polling also shows that half of those taking part (50.2%) want a second referendum once the terms of the Brexit deal are known.

People in Wales were split when asked whether the border control (50.1%) or access to single market (49.9%) was more important.

While 56.9% of people in Cardiff and 50.3% of those in Bangor thought the single market was most important, this was true for only 48% of participants in Swansea and 43.4% in Bridgend.

The findings are published just weeks after Labour and Plaid Cymru joined forces to produce a Welsh Government white paper which stressed the need for unfettered access to the single market.

First Minister Carwyn Jones has suggested the UK could follow the example of Norway, which is not a member of the EU but has single market access. However, Theresa May was unequivocal in her landmark Brexit speech delivered at Lancaster House that Britain will not remain a member of the single market.

Instead, the Government will “seek the greatest possible access to it through a new, comprehensive, bold and ambitious Free Trade Agreement”.

Only 21.3% of Welsh respondents said they felt more positive in the wake of the speech, with 26.3% saying they were less so.

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Just 8.3% of those who voted In now say they would vote Out.

In the other UK nations even more people expect a break-up of the UK

The Google survey, conducted on WalesOnline and other websites, found that 54.6% of English respondents expected the UK to break apart within a decade as a result of Brexit. This was even higher in Scotland (56%) and Northern Ireland (56.7%).

The polling suggests that if the referendum was held again there would once again be a vote to leave in England, but this would have narrowed from 53.4% to 50.2%. In Scotland, no change was predicted with 62% still wanting to stay in; in Northern Ireland the Remain vote would go up from 55.8% to 57.6%.

Plaid: A 'hard Brexit is not the will of the people of Wales'

Steffan Lewis, Plaid Cymru’s external affairs spokesman, said: “This latest poll confirms that no party or politician has a conclusive mandate for their vision for EU withdrawal.

"A Tory hard Brexit is not the will of the people of Wales and our continued participation in the Single Market is the priority for people in Wales.

“Plaid Cymru will continue to resist Theresa May’s ideological Brexit and will fight for Wales’ economic interests.”

The Welsh Tories are much more excited about what awaits

(Image: PA)

A Welsh Conservatives spokesman sounded an upbeat note, saying: “The only poll that matters is the one taken on June 23, when the people of Wales and the UK voted with a clear majority to leave the European Union. The UK Conservative Government has already made it clear that there will be no rerunning of the referendum and has outlined its plan for departure.

“The Prime Minister remains committed to delivering the best possible access to the single market, and to creating a truly global economy that works for everyone, and not just the privileged few.”

The Welsh Government wants 'full' single market membership

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “The decision is made that the UK will leave the EU and our focus now is ensuring that we secure the best possible deal for Wales. Our white paper balances the message which the Welsh people gave us that we should leave the European Union with the economic reality that makes full and unfettered access to the single market so important for the future prosperity of Wales and the UK as a whole.”