Public Backs Closer EU Relationship But Still Not Behind Rejoin

That’s according to a study by Ipsos, King’s College London and UK in a Changing Europe

A decade on from the Brexit referendum, the British public backs a closer relationship with the EU but is still not fully behind rejoining the bloc, new research suggests.

A study by Ipsos, King’s College London and UK in a Changing Europe found much of the public was open to rapprochement with the EU, with almost half backing a closer relationship and 60% wanting more co-operation on defence.

But attitudes towards the EU remain “complex”, said Ipsos research director Keiran Pedley.

He said: “On face value there is openness to greater alignment and rule-taking to facilitate a stronger trading relationship but arguments about sovereignty – especially when it comes to immigration – remain persuasive.”

While 53% of the public said they would support a return to freedom of movement in exchange for access to the EU single market, framing the question in terms of sovereignty found people prioritised control of immigration over relations with the bloc.

Some 52% said they preferred total border control and a more limited relationship with the EU, against 38% saying the opposite thing.

Professor Anand Menon, director of the UK in a Changing Europe think tank, said the research showed there was “no easy option when it comes to the EU relationship”, with each possibility presenting “clear trade-offs”.

The research also suggested attitudes over the past 10 years have change towards both the EU and the referendum itself.

In 2021, 27% said Brexit was going worse than they had predicted, while in 2026 that figure has now risen to 48% – more than those saying it was going as well as or better than expected.

While two-thirds of the public in 2016 though David Cameron was right to call the referendum, that figure has now fallen to 43%, while the number saying it was the wrong decision has risen from 24% to 38%.

Similarly, there is more backing for a second referendum, with 48% now saying they would support one, against 27% who would oppose it.

Even a fifth of Reform UK voters and a quarter of those who voted Leave in 2016 would back a second vote, the study found.

Proposing a new referendum on EU membership would also increase the number of people willing to consider voting Labour at the next election from 31% to 45%, while just 27% said an offer to maintain the status quo would encourage them to vote for the party.

But despite the shift, Professor Bobby Duffy of King’s College London said opinions were moving “glacially slowly”, adding: “At this rate, it’ll be many more years before we get to a clearcut demand for change.”

– The study polled 2,245 adults across Great Britain between May 15 and 20 this year.

Published: 12/06/2026 by Radio NewsHub