DETAILED analysis shows a majority of people in Colchester now want to see the UK remain in the European Union.

The constituency voted narrowly to leave the EU in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Some 51,305 people - 53.6 per cent - backed the Leave campaign while 44,414 people - 46.4 per cent - opted to remain.

But data published by pollsters YouGov shows backing for the remain side has since increased in Colchester by 8.1 per cent, taking the Remain support to 54.5 per cent.

The figures suggest Colchester is one of 112 English constituencies to have seen an increased vote for the Remain campaign.

The statistics were collated after anti-Brexit campaign groups Hope Not Hate and Best for Britain joined forces with analysts FocalData to survey 15,000 people.

But Colchester MP Will Quince, who voted to exit the EU, has questioned the numbers, citing “no significant” changes in the constituency.

The Conservative said: “I speak to people every day on the subject I do not detect any significant changes from Leave to Remain.

“In fact I would say the people who have changed their mind are people who voted to remain in the EU.

“A lot of the time, people are saying to me: ‘I didn’t vote for this to happen but I respect democracy and let’s just get on with leaving and getting a good deal for the UK’.

“There are some people who just cannot accept we are a democracy.

“Leaving the EU is the will of the people and that decision is binding.

“I was an ‘on balance leaver’ but if the referendum result had gone the other way, I would be defending us staying in the EU in the same way because I believe in democracy.”

The figures were collated using multilevel regression and poststratification analysis was based on YouGov polling of a total of 15,000 people across June and July, before and after the Chequers deal.

That method is generally accepted to deliver accurate results and predicted a hung parliament after last year’s snap General Election.

The UK is timetabled to leave the EU in March next year.