On the morning of 24 June 2016, Brexit opponents heralded the birth of a new movement: “the 48 per cent”. Those who voted Remain in the EU referendum would seek to block withdrawal or at least secure the softest version.
Almost a year on, Theresa May is pursuing a “hard Brexit” (the Prime Minister prefers “clean”) and is on course to secure a landslide election victory. But Remainers hope that tactical voting by “the 48 per cent” against anti-EU candidates could yet thwart the Conservatives. Their ambitions, however, are likely to be disappointed. The truth, which few have recognised, is that “the 48 per cent” no longer exist.
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