Seven years after voting for Brexit, UK support to rejoin EU passes 50% for the first time
Over half of Britons would vote to rejoin the European Union, according to a YouGov poll. The proportion in favour of rejoining has risen 11 points since January 2021
For the first time in seven years after opting to leave the European Union, more than half of Britons would vote to rejoin the EU, according to the YouGov polls.
As per the poll, around 51% of Britons told the polling company that they would vote for the UK to become an EU member again, while 32% said that they would stay out. The proportion in favour of rejoining has risen 11 points since January 2021, when Brexit formally took place.
The research findings sheds light on the growing disillusionment among British voters about Brexit. Which triggered years of divisive debate in Parliament before the UK finally left the bloc.
Britons are yet to see the promised fruits of departure from the EU, with UK holidaymakers facing longer queues at European airports and shoppers facing higher food prices fueled by both Brexit curbs on migrant workers and its effect on supply chains. A trade deal with the US, meanwhile, held as one of the great prizes of Brexit, doesn’t look likely to materialize anytime soon.
Seven years after the referendum, people in UK have to face higher cost-of-living crisis with inflation which is outstripping price rises elsewhere in Europe. Many regions that opted in the favour of Brexit are more likely to face a widening wealth and opportunity gap relative to richer parts of the UK, according to Bloomberg analysis.
57% believe UK was wrong to vote for Brexit
In the recent survey conducted by YouGov, more than 57% people believed that UK was wrong to vote in the favour of Brexit in 2016. In 2016, one in five Britons voted to leave the EU, but now they are repenting their decision.
Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has repeatedly said that he believes in Brexit and the opportunities it presents. But his government is in talks to renegotiate certain parts of the UK's exit deal that can cause disruption and added costs to businesses and consumers.
Currently, UK officials are in talks with their EU counterparts to delay upcoming tariffs on electric vehicles shipped between the UK and the EU. Moreover, the government is also weighing options to limit the cost of post-Brexit border checks on European food imports.
According to Bloomberg's report, PM Sunak is also hoping to reach an agreement to let Britons use EU e-gates for passport checks, which has served as a major issue for tourists and business travellers since Brexit.
(With inputs from Bloomberg)
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Business NewsNewsWorldSeven years after voting for Brexit, UK support to rejoin EU passes 50% for the first time
First Published:18 Jul 2023, 09:07 AM IST
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