Tim Farron has slammed Theresa May’s Brexit plan as a “theft of democracy” - but now research has revealed just how many Brits actually want a so-called hard Brexit.
YouGov has revealed that 39% of the British public want a hard Brexit.
Of those who voted leave, 74% backed the course of action.
A hard Brexit is defined as “regaining full control over how Britain is governed and who can live here, even if that means not having a free trade relationships with the EU”.
Lib Dem leader Farron described May decision to pursue a hard Breixt as “incredibly disappointing to anyone who thinks democracy matters”.
He added: “What she has done is taken the views of 51.9% of people, who voted to leave the European Union last June, and assumed they all meant the same as Nigel Farage and assumed they wanted an extreme Brexit, that was not on the ballot paper.”
The sentiment was echoed by many on social media following May’s speech on Tuesday.
During her speech the Prime Minister said her Government wanted to regain control of the UK’s immigration policies - meaning membership of the Single Market was impossible.
May also announced the UK would no longer be members of the customs union in its current form, in order to enable the country to seek trade deals across the globe.
Other key announcements included Parliament would get a vote on the final Brexit deal, and the UK would try to negotiate a transitional period once the two-year Article 50 period has expired.