Brexit polls: Brexiter Andrew Bridgen gets in an argument about whether ‘most’ people want no-deal Ms Kendall asked him ‘where are your facts for that?’

Tory Brexiteer Andrew Bridgen sparked a row on the BBC Politics Live show on Monday over how much support there is among the British public for a no-deal Brexit.

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The member of the European Research Group of Conservative MPs sparked an angry row with his fellow panellists, including Tory Peer Daniel Finkelstein and Labour MP Liz Kendall.

The MP for North West Leicestershire told the panel that they were “totally out of touch because most of the public want to leave now with no deal as soon as possible”.

His comment provoked a strong reaction from the other guests, with Lord Finkelstein saying “that’s not true” repeatedly, while Ms Kendall asked him “where are your facts for that?”

‘Where is that evidence from?’

“That’s what the polling is showing,” Mr Bridgen replied.

As the panel shouted over each other host Jo Coburn was forced to intervene saying: “One at a time.”

She turned to Mr Bridgen and asked: “Where is that evidence from? Which polls say that there is a majority of voters who would prefer a no-deal to any other option?”

He responded: “Forty-one per cent of the voters want no-deal, 35 per cent wanted an extension, only 16 per cent want Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement. That’s about the same as the best that ever the Chequers proposals ever got.”

‘You’re a number’s person’

Lord Finkelstein then asked him: “You’re a numbers person. You just said the majority wants it and then you said 41 percent, but 41 percent isn’t majority is it? Right? So, therefore, it’s just not true.”

“Well it’s the biggest proportion,” he said, while the peer was talking and adding, after he finished, that: “It’s growing.”

Polling conducted by YouGov between 31 March-1 April asked the members of the public if they supported a no-deal Brexit if no agreement is reached by next Friday.

However, if push came to shove, if the deadline was upon us and the EU would not grant any more extensions, in that forced choice situation 44% would prefer No Deal, 42% would prefer to stay. Though of course, that’s asking about a hypothetical situation we aren’t in. Yet. pic.twitter.com/HEIxW0AEZx — Anthony Wells (@anthonyjwells) April 4, 2019

While the polling showed that no-deal commands the greatest proportion of support it also showed that 50 percent of those surveyed think a no-deal Brexit would be a “bad outcome.”

A no-deal Brexit would sever the UK’s economic ties to the EU’s single market overnight and dramatically impact the businesses ability to import and export. It would also end arrangments that govern a wide range of sectors overnight.

The Treasury’s analysis, released last November indicated that a no-deal Brexit could hit the economy by 9.3 percent of GDP over the next 15 years.