More than four out of five Northern Ireland voters believe the government is handling the negotiations badly

Almost three out of five voters in Northern Ireland favour a “border in the Irish Sea” compromise on Brexit to avoid up to 40,000 job losses and an economic shock for its food and farming sectors, a poll has revealed.

An overwhelming majority backed a Northern Ireland-only backstop — opposed by Boris Johnson and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) — as a way of averting a no-deal Brexit.

Northern Ireland voters have also taken a dim view of how the British government is handling the Brexit negotiations.

More than four out of five believe the government is handling the negotiations badly — two out of three said “very badly” – and just 13% felt the UK government was doing well.

The survey by LucidTalk, a