The Archbishop of Canterbury’s views on welfare and Brexit do not reflect those of ordinary Anglicans, research has found.

A study found that the majority of Church of England Christians supported Brexit, with 66 per cent of Anglicans voting Leave, compared to a national average of 53 per cent.

The research, published in the journal Religion, State and Society, found that Church of England Christians were unpersuaded by their bishops, who were overwhelmingly Remain-leaning.

Identifying as Anglican is "an important independent predictor of voting Leave even when other relevant factors like age and region are corrected for", the paper, by Greg Smith, of the William Temple Foundation and Linda Woodhead, professor of Politics, Philosophy and Religion at Lancaster University, concluded.

In June Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, described the European Union as "the greatest dream realised for human beings since the fall of the Western Roman Empire".

Ahead of the 2016 referendum the Archbishop said he would vote to remain in the EU, warning of economic damage and "succumbing to our worst instincts".