FILE PHOTO: An anti-Brexit protester demonstrates outside the Houses of Parliament, ahead of a vote on Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal, in London, Britain January 15, 2019. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain would vote to stay in the European Union by a 12 percentage point margin if it was given another vote, the highest level since the shock 2016 Brexit referendum, according to a YouGov poll taken on Jan. 16.

The results of the poll, distributed by the People’s Vote campaign which is pushing for another referendum, showed that 56 percent would vote to stay in the EU and 44 percent would vote to leave, excluding those who would not vote or didn’t know.

“The Remain lead, 12 percent, is the highest yet,” Peter Kellner, former president of YouGov, was quoted as saying by the People’s Vote.

In the June 23, 2016 referendum, 17.4 million voters, or 51.9 percent, backed leaving the EU while 16.1 million, or 48.1 percent, backed staying.

The YouGov poll showed 48 percent would vote to remain, 38 percent would vote to leave, 6 percent would not vote and 7 percent did not know how they would vote. YouGov surveyed 1070 adults.

Backing for another referendum among Labour Party supporters was at 78 percent, the poll showed.