Italians are not in favour of following in Britain's footsteps, with 62 percent saying leaving the European Union would not be a good idea, according to a report released on Friday by Italian research institute Censis. The 2019 edition of the annual poll found 25 percent of Italians would be in favour of their country leaving the EU bloc.

Italy's membership of the EU is not currently a major topic of discussion within the country, and an "Italexit" referendum is not on the cards despite what is implied by reports in some UK newspapers. In recent years the issue of Italy's European Union membership was regularly brought up by eurosceptic populist parties, including the Five Star Movement and the League.