UK Poll Shows 52% Want EU Return, as 48% Back New Brexit Vote
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Jun 21
UK Poll Shows 52% Want EU Return, as 48% Back New Brexit Vote
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Jun 21
Summary
Ipsos polls show 52% of Britons now want to rejoin the EU, while 48% would support holding another referendum on membership.
Ten years after 17 million voters backed Brexit by 52% to 48%, many now see it as a failure as the economy remains weaker and trade with the EU faces new frictions.
Experts cited in the report say Brexit left the economy 4% to 8% smaller than it otherwise would have been, even as promised gains such as a major U.S. trade deal never arrived.
Migration remains politically explosive: net migration fell from more than 900,000 in 2023 to 171,000 last year, but small-boat Channel crossings still reached 41,000.
That discontent has scrambled British politics, boosting Nigel Farage's Reform UK and constraining Labour's effort to reset EU ties without reopening the question of rejoining.
A decade after the vote, what new national vision can reunite a Britain where most now see Brexit as a failure?
With the EU signing major new trade deals, can Britain's proposed 'reset' ever truly replace the economic benefits it lost?
As echoes of the 2008 crash loom, is Britain's high-debt, post-Brexit economy prepared for another global financial crisis?
58% of UK Public Back Rejoining the EU: Causes, Consequences, and the Road Ahead (2026)
Overview
By mid-2026, the UK has seen a significant and sustained shift in public opinion, with a clear majority now favoring rejoining the European Union and supporting a new referendum. This marks a notable departure from the 2016 referendum result and is driven by a growing consensus that Brexit has not delivered its promised benefits. Recent polls consistently show strong support for rejoining, reflecting a profound change in the national mood. The public’s desire for a closer relationship with the EU is rooted in widespread disappointment with Brexit’s outcomes, highlighting a nation reconsidering its future direction.