EU Citizens Overwhelmingly Support UK Rejoining
A new survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) has found that two-thirds of EU citizens across 15 countries would back Britain rejoining the bloc. The poll, conducted a decade after the Brexit referendum, shows 66% of respondents either “strongly supported” or “tended to support” UK membership. This average comfortably exceeded those favouring a closer relationship (59%) or the status quo (46%). Support for rejoining ranged from lows of 56% in Bulgaria and 59% in France and Italy to highs of 75% in the Netherlands and Denmark.
Even voters for far-right and EU-critical parties expressed support for closer relations between the bloc and the UK. A majority of backers of Poland’s Confederation (71%), Germany’s AfD (58%), and France’s National Rally (58%) favoured closer ties.
European Leaders Open Door to UK Return
Many European leaders have reflected this sentiment. French President Emmanuel Macron has said the door is “always open,” while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated Spain would “absolutely” support British membership. Finland’s President Alexander Stubb explicitly named the UK as a candidate for membership, saying, “We need a UK voice in Europe. We really miss you guys.” In May, the European Green party formally invited the UK to rejoin.
UK Voters Regret Brexit, Desire Closer Ties
In the UK, the polling found that voters across party lines, including supporters of Reform UK, believed Brexit had negatively impacted the country. Respondents said leaving had hit their main priorities: the cost of living (66%), the economy (65%), youth opportunity (57%), illegal immigration (56%), and trade (56%). Even most leave voters (58%) said Brexit had made illegal immigration worse.
When asked to identify the primary benefits of Brexit, the most common response was “don’t know,” followed closely by “none of the above,” suggesting most British voters now feel Brexit did real damage for no apparent upside.
Majority Accept Free Movement for Closer Trade
This negative verdict translates into a strong desire for a closer relationship with the bloc: 75% of UK respondents favoured closer ties. Asked about trade and economic relations, 66% said they should be very or slightly closer. Perhaps most strikingly, a large majority (63%) of respondents – including 57% of those who voted leave in 2016 – said they would now accept freedom of movement in exchange for closer trading ties, with only 18% rejecting it. Even among voters whose top concern was immigration, 44% said they would back freedom of movement as part of a closer economic relationship.
Political Opportunity for UK Government
Mark Leonard, director of the ECFR and author of the report, said the polling showed the EU was open to the UK’s return and that the British public had fundamentally moved on from 2016. “Brexit was the insurgent vehicle for a nation rejecting the status quo,” he said. “A decade on, Brits realise their hopes for a better life outside the EU are unfulfilled and Brexit is undermining the UK’s ability to manage the issues they care about most.” He added that the data revealed a “very broad permissive consensus for going far beyond the government’s current reset.”
Three Voter Camps in the UK
The report identified three main voter camps in the UK: “optimists” (28%) who view European alignment as a geopolitical necessity; “realists” (35%) who support closer ties but still value US ties; and “loners” (27%) who still prioritise national sovereignty. Overall, the survey found British voters favoured Europe over the US as a preferred security partner, with just 18% now viewing the US as an ally and 58% favouring closer defensive relations with Europe, compared with 19% for the US. A majority of British voters do not want to buy more weapons from the US, while more than 60% would prefer to follow a “buy European” policy. Almost two-thirds (63%) also want the UK to participate in developing an alternative European nuclear deterrent.
This article was amended on 21 June 2026. Owing to confusion over supplied information, an earlier version said that 66% of polled EU citizens felt UK membership in the EU was a “very good”, “good” or “neither good nor bad” idea. In fact, it was 67% who felt this way, and the intended reference was to 66% of respondents who “strongly supported” or “tended to support” UK membership. A graphic referring to the former poll has been removed.
