MORE THAN SEVEN in ten people believe the proposed new EU treaty should be put to a referendum, a new poll shows.

Some 72 per cent agreed that “Irish people should be asked to ratify any proposed treaty change” in the research carried out by Red C for the Sunday Business Post.

Just 21 per cent said they did not believe a referendum should be held.

When asked how they would vote in any such referendum, 40 per cent of people said they would vote ‘Yes’ – a slim majority over the 36 per cent who said they would vote ‘No’.

This appears to undermine the stance of Opposition politicians, who have repeatedly suggested that the Government is trying to avoid holding a referendum which it fears it will lose.

European leaders are due to hammer out the final wording of the proposed treaty at an EU summit which begins on Monday.

The poll shows support for the individual political parties to be almost unchanged. Fine Gael were down two points on 30 per cent; Labour up one on 14 per cent; no change for Fianna Fáil on 18 per cent; Sinn Féin up two on 17 per cent; and independents up one on 21 per cent.