Express. Only 1 in 3 wants to stay in EU

Given an in-out referendum on EU membership, 50 per cent would vote "out" against 33 per cent "in" and 17 per cent who would not vote either way, according to the poll by Harris Interactive for the Financial Times.

David Cameron finally bowed to mounting pressure last month by promising that a Tory Government would hold a vote in 2017.

The move to hold a referendum is popular with the electorate, with 50 per cent supporting the decision and only 21 per cent opposing it.

The Prime Minister, who would campaign for an "in" vote, said he had "no illusions about the scale of the task ahead", a comment borne out by the poll of 2,114 adults, conducted between January 29 and February 6.