A new survey has revealed that more than half of British adults now support the United Kingdom rejoining the European Union, a possibility that Prime Minister Andy Burnham raised during his speech at the Labour Party’s annual conference.
Polling Details and Key Findings
The Messina Group, a political communications consultancy, surveyed 11,461 British adults in September, presenting seven different scenarios for the future relationship between London and Brussels. According to the findings reported by The Guardian, the most popular option among respondents was full reintegration into the EU, with 49% in favor and 28.5% opposed. The remaining respondents either held no opinion or were unsure.
The second most favored scenario was maintaining the current relationship while maximizing the reduction of trade barriers, supported by 48.2% of those polled and rejected by 20.9%.
Support Across Various Scenarios
The survey explored multiple pathways for the UK-EU relationship:
- A customs union between the UK and the EU garnered 47.1% support, with 20.7% opposed.
- “Associate member” status received 45.5% positive opinions.
- Joining the single market was backed by 45.1% of respondents.
- Preserving the current relationship was supported by 41.2%.
- Further loosening ties between London and Brussels was favored by only 27.9%, while 41.2% opposed the idea.
Retrospective Views on Brexit
The poll also captured British public sentiment on the original decision to leave the EU. Nearly 30% of respondents (29.7%) believed the UK was right to vote for Brexit in 2016, while 52.4% considered it a mistake. When asked to assess the outcome, 12.2% described Brexit as a success, whereas 54.9% labeled it a failure.
The findings suggest a shifting political landscape in the UK, with a majority of the public now open to closer alignment with Europe—a trend that could shape the country’s future relationship with its largest trading partner.
