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Over half of Britons favor EU withdrawal

A recent poll shows that more than half of British people favor leaving the European Union. (AFP photo)

A newly-conducted poll has revealed that over half of Britons favor their country’s withdrawal from the European Union.

According to the survey, which was carried out on behalf of ‘out’ campaign, 53% of the 2,007 respondents said they would vote to leave the bloc.

Meanwhile, 47% of the respondents said they want the UK to remain part of the European Union.

The study was conducted by Survation polling agency between November 9 and 11.

It is seen as the first public opinion poll since Prime Minister David Cameron declared his conditions for a renegotiation of the terms of the UK’s membership of the European Union.

Ian Williams, senior analyst at Foreign Policy in Focus, believes the British people will ultimately vote in favor of staying in the European Union.

“I think in the end most people in Britain will vote in favor of staying in (EU)… Cameron is going to claim a great victory no matter what results he gets from these very minor amendments,” Ian Williams told Press TV’s UK Desk on Saturday.

'EU exit backlash'

Earlier this week, Britain’s leading academics and scientists warned that British exit from the EU would be catastrophic for universities and scientific research.

They also warned the move would also cost tens of millions of pounds in funding and leave prestigious UK institutions struggling to compete on the world stage.

Scientists from fields as diverse as neuroscience, astronomy, robotics, immunology, particle physics, sustainable agriculture, molecular biology, nanotechnology, cancer and photon therapy said an exit from the EU would lead to funding cuts, make recruiting and retaining top academic talent harder, and – crucially – cripple the cross-border collaboration on which research thrives.

EU membership has long been a contentious topic in Britain. Eurosceptics, who believe the UK would be better off outside the political and economic union, seek the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

The UK government is set to hold a referendum by the end of 2017 on whether to leave the 28-nation EU. 


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