Brexit is still the most important issue to voters in two out of three Southwark constituencies, according to a new study.
People in Bermondsey and Old Southwark – roughly covering the north of the borough – and Camberwell and Peckham both said that Brexit was the area they cared about most. Both Neil Coyle and Harriet Harman, who represent the two constituencies, were in favour of remaining in the European Union.
Brexit was an unusual choice – just seventeen out of 632 British constituencies surveyed said the same to the researchers from Royal Holloway university. A whopping 460 said that the economy was the most important issue, followed by Covid-19 with 153 – including Dulwich and West Norwood, the third Southwark constituency. Researchers carried out their fieldwork in February and March this year.
About 26 per cent of people in Bermondsey and Old Southwark voted to leave, according to a BBC analysis. About 32 per cent of people in Camberwell and Peckham voted to leave.
Professor Chris Hanretty from Royal Holloway’s Democracy and Elections Centre, said: “MPs often talk about what’s important on the doorstep – usually when they want to deflect attention from another issue.
“Now for the first time we’ve got some insight into what’s important at local level. It’s going to be interesting cross-checking these results against what MPs say people are telling them.”