Britons want to exit Brexit – poll

1 Dec, 2023 05:17 / Updated 1 year ago
Around 72% of UK citizens believe that leaving the EU has had a negative economic impact

A majority of Britons now regret Brexit and want to rejoin the European Union, a YouGov poll published on Wednesday has revealed.

Seven years on from the referendum campaign in the UK, the pollsters said that 52% of those surveyed now believe it was wrong to leave the EU, and seven out of ten support having closer ties with the bloc.

The YouGov poll also shows that 57% of Britons would now support joining the single market even if that means the resumption of the free movement of people. Curbing immigration was among the key reasons why Britons voted to leave the EU in 2016.

The survey was released shortly after the latest data revealed that annual net migration to the UK has hit a record high. According to the country's Office for National Statistics, “Non-EU immigration was estimated to be around 968,000 for the year ending June 2023, an increase of 120,000 compared with the year ending June 2022. In the year ending June 2023 this group accounted for 82% of total immigration.”

In general, the poll shows that 72% of Britons believe Brexit has had a negative economic impact.

The poll comes as inflation remains at historic highs in Britain and economic growth is stagnant, with economists warning about the continuing impact of Brexit on trade and investment.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section