GETTY David Cameron faces a headache after a poll revealed huge support for leaving the EU

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Well over half of Britons now want to sever ties with Brussels permanently as anti-EU feeling continues to grow in the light of the Paris massacre and the ongoing migrant crisis. A poll commissioned for the Mail on Sunday revealed that 53% of Britons now want out of the EU, compared to 47% who believe we should stay in.

That means the leave campaign has opened up a commanding 6% lead as the upcoming referendum on Britain’s membership of the 28-nation bloc looms ever closer. Even more astonishingly, that lead would grow to a cavernous 8% if Mayor of London Boris Johnson agreed to front the campaign to quit the EU.

GETTY Mr Cameron hopes to announce a raft of agreement to shore up EU support

The result will be a devastating blow for David Cameron, who is trying to convince voters that he can secure meaningful reforms from Brussels which will make staying in the EU more appealing. But world events appear to have overtaken the Prime Minister with November’s shocking Paris massacre, the Cologne sex attacks and the ongoing migrant crisis plaguing mainland Europe all hardening Eurosceptic feeling across the country. More worryingly still for Mr Cameron the poll reveals the true extent of the colossal swing towards an EU exit, with the out campaign gathering momentum at the critical time.

GETTY The lead would grow even further if Boris Johnson fronted the leave campaign

GETTY Issues including the migrant crisis have strengthened Eurosceptic feeling

Last May a survey by the same pollsters produced almost exact reverse result, with 54% of Britons in favour of remaining in the EU and just 46% intending to vote to leave. The latest result means that public perception has swung an astonishing 7% in favour of Brexit in just eight months. The shock poll was revealed as it emerged that the Prime Minister has drawn up a secret plan to deliver three surprise “rabbits from the hat” in his renegotiation with European leaders which he hopes will help shore up support for the EU. According to the Times, Mr Cameron is set to unveil an agreement signed by the other 27 EU leaders rebranding Britain as a different sort of member state, meaning it would be exempt from some Brussels rulings. He will also announce an “emergency brake” on EU migration to Britain which would enable the Government to step in and block new arrivals if public services become overwhelmed.