THE UK Government’s “anti-woke agenda” is an attempt to hold on to votes from those who backed Brexit, according to a polling expert.
Elections expert Professor Sir John Curtice has claimed that the Conservative Party is seeking to “tap into” a wider set of values held by those who voted to leave the EU in 2016.
Boris Johnson’s Government has been accused of seeking to start a culture war over issues such as vandalism of statues and a crackdown on protecting free speech at British universities.
The polling expert told a Westminster briefing: “The fact that people who are pro-Brexit are willing to support the Conservative Party, yes, it’s to do with Brexit in particular, but it is also of course to do with immigration.
READ MORE: John Curtice: What the UK public really thinks of Brexit, five years after referendum
“As the Conservative Party now realises, Brexit is also tapping into a wider set of more socially conservative values.
“And that’s why you can see why the Conservative Party are pursuing this anti-woke agenda, is indeed finding other ways of continuing to connect with the views of Leave voters.
“As well of course the more direct appeals designed by the phraseology of levelling up.”
Curtice, professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde, said that support for the Conservative Party from those who went on to vote Leave was 45% in 2015, the year before the referendum, increasing to 73% in 2019.
The pollster said support for the Tories was “little short of revolutionised by Brexit”, with the party maintaining the support of 66% of Leave voters even up to May of this year.
Ahead of the fifth anniversary of the referendum today, he told reporters that the UK remained “divided as a society” on the subject of Brexit.
Curtice said research suggests few people had changed their minds on how to vote, adding: “More than four in five people still say they would vote exactly in the same way they did five years ago.”
Meanwhile, he said that the “level and character of support” for independence in Scotland had changed since the referendum, and said this was likely to be the “next chapter” in the domestic debate over Brexit.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel