Why Brexit Didn’t Work

A decade after MPs voted to hold the referendum that led to Britain leaving the European Union, a poll has found majorities in the bloc’s four largest member states would support the UK rejoining – but not on the same terms it had before.

The YouGov survey of six western European countries, including the UK, also confirms that a clear majority of British voters now back the country rejoining the bloc – but only if it can keep the opt-outs it previously enjoyed.

The result, the pollster said, was a “public opinion impasse”, even if there seems precious little likelihood, for the time being, of the UK’s Labour government, which this year negotiated a “reset” with the bloc, attempting a return to the EU.

YouGov’s EuroTrack survey showed that at least half of people asked across the four largest EU nations – France, Germany, Italy and Spain – supported the UK being allowed to rejoin, with percentages ranging from 51% in Italy to 63% in Germany.

Asked whether Britain should be allowed back in on the same conditions it enjoyed when it left, including not having to adopt the euro currency and remaining outside the Schengen passport-free zone, the numbers changed significantly.

Only one-fifth of respondents across the four biggest EU members, from 19% in Italy and France to 21% in Spain and 22% in Germany, felt the UK should be allowed return as if it had never left, with 58-62% saying it must be part of all main EU policy areas.

The pollster stress-tested western European attitudes by asking whether, if the UK was only willing to rejoin the EU on condition it could keep its old opt-outs, it should be allowed to. Some (33-36%) felt this would be OK, but more (41-52%) were opposed.

In the UK, while 54% of Britons supported rejoining the EU when asked the question in isolation, the figure fell to just 36% if rejoining meant giving up previous opt-outs. On those terms, 45% of Britons opposed renewed membership.

The survey found that remain voters and those who backed more pro-EU parties would still broadly back rejoining if this meant adopting the euro and being part of the Schengen area, albeit at much lower rates.

Almost 60% of remain voters said they would support rejoining the EU without the previous opt-outs, down about 25 percentage points from the non-specific question, as would 58% of Labour voters (-23 points) and 49% of Liberal Democrats (-31 points).

The percentage of Eurosceptic voters willing to rejoin without the previous special treatment more or less halved, falling from 21% to 10% among leave voters; 25% to 12% among Conservative voters, and 15% to 9% among Reform UK supporters.

The fifth continental European country polled, Denmark, proved an outlier. Respondents there were very keen (72%) for the UK to rejoin, and more enthusiastic than larger member states about it keeping its previous opt-outs (43%).

Denmark, however, is one of only three EU member states to hold opt-outs in major EU policy areas. The survey also found that large majorities in all five continental countries (63-75%) would support an independent Scotland joining the EU.

I preferred putting this in the Brexit thread I’d started earlier, but Izzy murdered it.

Young people across the UK will be able to study or gain work experience through the EU’s Erasmus scheme for the first time since Brexit, after the government announced an agreement to rejoin at a cost of £570m.

The scheme officially known as Erasmus+ will be reopened to those involved in education, training, culture and sport from 2027, after discussions in London and Brussels to fulfil a Labour election manifesto pledge.

Additional countries are proposing to exit the corrupt EU.

Time has proven me correct. Additional countries are proposing to exit the corrupt EU.

Lash wrote:

I preferred putting this in the Brexit thread I’d started earlier, but Izzy murdered it.

Yeah, it really sucks when you learn that you're wrong.

You didn't know anything.

You live an ocean away.

Brexit was going to be a disaster from the off.

We can no longer live and work or even the mainland without additional paperwork.

It's not about Britain being punished, it's about the people believing far right bullshit from the likes of Farage and Johnson.

It's called reaping what you sowed.

The sooner we get back in the better.

Tom Luango should stick to American politics.

I preferred putting this in the Brexit thread I’d started earlier, but Izzy murdered it.

British voters want to be part of the European Union more than their French and Italian counterparts, a new poll reveals.

The YouGov survey, carried out in six European countries, shows 50 per cent of voters in the UK would vote to be an EU member if there was a referendum now, compared to 45 per cent and 46 per cent in France and Italy. The numbers were higher in Germany, 62 per cent, Denmark, 75 per cent, and Spain, 66 per cent

It also found that in Britain, just 31 per cent of people said they would vote to be outside the EU – far fewer than the 52 per cent who backed Brexit nearly a decade ago. In France, that figure was 30 per cent, Italy 28 per cent, Germany 20 per cent, Denmark 14 per cent and Spain 13 per cent.

Time has proven me correct.

Last month it was reported that Baroness Shafik, Sir Keir’s chief economic adviser, privately recommended rejoining the customs union in the run-up to last month’s Budget, arguing it would cut costs for businesses and increase exports.

The deputy prime minister, David Lammy, also suggested that rejoining the union could increase economic growth, although he stressed it was not government policy.

It comes after an analysis seen by The Independent revealed that Brexit is costing the UK up to £90bn a year in lost tax revenues.