Britons increasingly call Brexit a mistake, poll finds on anniversary

Britons are marking the 10th anniversary of the Brexit vote with a sharp reassessment of what leaving the European Union delivered. In a Reuters-backed European Council on Foreign Relations poll, two-thirds of voters said Brexit had hurt the country, while three-quarters said they wanted closer ties with Europe.

The polling, carried out by YouGov and Mandate from May 7 to 14 among more than 2,000 respondents, suggests the gap between the promises of 2016 and the reality of 2026 has widened rather than narrowed. Britain had spent 43 years in the EU before the June 23, 2016 referendum, and the ECFR brief says many voters now see the cost-of-living strain, weaker economic performance and added friction with Europe as the most visible legacy of departure.

That frustration is clearest in the numbers. Two-thirds said Brexit had raised the cost of living and damaged the economy, while 57% said it was wrong for Britain to leave the EU at all. Another 56% said Brexit had made it harder to tackle illegal migration, trade and red tape, and 57% said it had reduced opportunities for young people. Mark Leonard, head of the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the hopes attached to leaving the bloc were going unfulfilled and that Brexit was undermining Britain’s ability to deal with the issues voters care about most.

The survey also points to a broader shift in British attitudes. Only 18% of respondents viewed the United States as an ally, while many said EU member states and the EU itself were more trustworthy. A plurality said continental partners would be more likely than Washington to help repel an attack. The brief says voters are open to ideas that were once politically taboo, including freedom of movement, a European nuclear deterrent and, for a plurality, British participation in a European army. ECFR says the old divide between “leavers” and “remainers” is fading, replaced by “Optimists,” “Realists” and “Loners.”

The anniversary has also revived visible anti-Brexit activism. About 1,500 people took part in the National Rejoin March in London, and former Labour leader Neil Kinnock called Brexit “an unmitigated, unprecedented, continuing disaster.” An Ipsos survey in June found 52% of Britons thought the UK should rejoin the EU, compared with 33% who would keep it out in a hypothetical referendum, with younger voters strongly pro-rejoin and about 70% of Reform UK supporters opposed. The politics of Brexit may not be heading for reversal, but the expectation gap is now unmistakable.