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Do the British public want EU membership?
New analysis by YouGov and Best for Britain has found that EU membership was the preferred UK-EU policy for the majority of the British public – and by quite some margin. EU membership was twice as popular as the next preferred option: the government’s current policy of pursuing closer UK-EU relations without returning to the Customs Union, Single Market, or Freedom of Movement. The results demonstrated that in almost every single constituency across Britain – 628 out of 632 – EU membership was the most popular UK-EU relations policy option.
These findings reinforce previous public sentiment polling by Best for Britain which found that 53% of Brits support EU membership, compared to just 32% who oppose. The outcome of this new poll reinforces Best for Britain’s call for the government to be more ambitious on our relationship with Europe.
What are the benefits of EU membership for the UK?
A recent independent study by Frontier Economics, commissioned by Best for Britain, found that EU membership could claw back at least 90% of the economic hit caused by Brexit. The findings showed that EU membership could add at least £92bn to our economy and boost our exports by a staggering £43bn per year. These gains would be felt most strongly in the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire and the North East – Britain’s former industrial and manufacturing heartlands.
Alongside these economic benefits, UK citizens would regain the ability to live, work, and travel freely across Europe. Industries such as manufacturing, construction, hospitality and more could begin to reverse the intensive labour shortages that they have faced following the UK’s departure from the EU. The research also shows that EU membership would shield both the UK and the EU from the worst impacts of Trump’s tariffs.
How popular is the Single Market or a Customs Union?
Only around one in 20 respondents said they most wanted the UK government to pursue a policy of joining the Single Market (6%), with around the same proportion choosing a Customs Union as their preferred option (5%). This echoes past work carried out by Best for Britain, which showed that while 49% of Brits support entering a Customs Union and 46% support rejoining the Single Market, both of these options are less popular than full membership and exhibit a much shallower level of support.
Indeed, Frontier Economics’ research illustrates that a Customs Union would deliver just 20% of the economic benefit of full membership, while the Single Market would offer just under 60% of the GDP gains associated with full membership. What’s more, both of these options would leave the UK as ‘rule-takers’ with limited tangible say on the passing of EU legislation that would affect most of the UK economy.
Who is most supportive of EU membership?
Left leaning voters, and those who voted to remain during the 2016 EU Referendum were very likely to support EU membership. Best for Britain’s analysis has previously shown that 84% of Liberal Democrat, 83% of Labour, 82% of Green, and 82% of Remain voters support the UK pursuing EU membership.
Since the 2016 Referendum, the British public has been split into a left-leaning pro-European and right-leaning eurosceptic bloc – defined by their voting behaviour during that vote. While voters tend to move between parties within their bloc, they tend not to move across blocs. Recent research by Best for Britain suggests that if the Labour government were to pursue EU membership at the next election then voters from the Green and Liberal Democrats would be markedly more likely to vote for the Labour party, consolidating the progressive bloc behind Labour and potentially stopping a Reform UK government.
Sizeable majorities of current Labour (55%), Liberal Democrat (56%) and Green (67%) supporters were found to most want the UK government to propose EU membership.
Do Conservative and Reform UK voters support EU membership?
The right-wing bloc of British politics is much more divided on the issue of Europe when compared to the progressive bloc. Whereas support for EU membership is near widespread amongst progressives, it is low among Reform UK Supporters and views among Conservatives are much more fractured.
Our findings show that one in five Conservative voters want the government to pursue EU membership as their preferred UK-EU policy option. This tallies with prior research into Conservative voters which found that 39% support rejoining the EU. This is a key dividing line between those who support the Conservatives and Reform UK. More than a third (35%) of the latter group prefer to loosen ties with the EU, a policy that just over 10% of Tory voters support.
Evidence collected by Best for Britain suggests that a portion of the remaining Conservative vote remains supportive of reintegrating with Europe, but that irrespective of Labour’s position on Europe these voters are unlikely to consider voting for the party at the next election. In other words, whether the Labour Party loosens ties or goes for full EU membership they are unlikely to win or lose votes from those on the right bloc of British politics, but they do stand to win votes from the progressive bloc if they include EU membership in their manifesto.
Where is support for EU membership most concentrated?
EU membership is the most popular EU policy option in every region and nation of the UK- the preferred option in all but four parliamentary seats. In 84 seats, it was more popular than all other options combined. By region, support was especially high in Scotland, London and inner-city areas. By party, support was highest in seats won by the SNP, Greens, and Liberal Democrats in 2024.
In Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s seat in Makerfield, EU membership was the most popular option (29%), with ‘Don’t Know’ in second place (24%). While in Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch’s constituency, EU membership received even more support than in Makerfield, with around a third (32%) choosing it as the policy they most want the UK government to propose.