Government has confirmed there are no plans to hold a referendum on Independence in the near future.

The Premier's press secretary Glenn Jones said yesterday: "There is no date established for any referendum at the moment."

On Saturday, Premier Ewart Brown told Bermudian students on a UK college tour that if a referendum was held today, most residents would vote against Independence. But he remained confident such a poll would eventually support the breaking of ties with Britain, describing Independence as a "natural progression" for the Island.

The possibility of a referendum was raised last year. Mr. Jones identified it as the route the Progressive Labour Party would take to determine whether Bermudians were in favour of Independence. A few days later however, the Premier said: "My Party's official position has not changed – that is that we prefer to do it via a General Election."

Following Dr. Brown's comments this weekend, the group Bermudians for Referendum (BFR) called on Government to conduct a poll within the next six months. BFR organiser Michael G. Marsh said that to prolong the issue without a timeline on a public vote only raised feelings of uncertainty, particularly among the international business community.

Mr. Marsh described the Premier's delay on a referendum as "ignoring the will of the people".

In a BFR survey in 2006, 52 percent of the electorate – 15,500 voters, signed a petition calling for the issue of Independence to be decided by a referendum, rather than by a General Election.

In September an independent survey revealed two-thirds of Bermudians oppose Independence. The summer poll, by Total Research Associates, showed opposition has grown from 51 percent in 1998 to 67 percent this year. The minority in favour however, has also grown – from nine percent to 21 percent in the past ten years.