Brexit isn’t working: British voters are ready for a European future
Think tank: European Council on Foreign Relations
Author(s): Mark Leonard
June 21, 2026
This report from UK think tank European Council on Foreign Relations sets out both the pro-European turn in British opinion and the new categories of voters revealed by ECFR’s polling.
A new ECFR polling shows British voters see Brexit as a disaster. They are strikingly open to reintegration with the EU. Three quarters want a closer relationship.
They see that as key to improvements on the economy, security and migration. Old red lines are falling away, with a majority open to freedom of movement and even a European nuclear deterrent.
Brits much prefer EU states and even the EU itself over the US, sentiments that are reciprocated within the union.
Leaving the 2016 politics of “leavers” and “remainers” far behind, they are now split into “Optimists” (for confident reintegration), “Realists” (for negotiated closer relations) and “Loners” (for continued distance).
Politicians must build a broad consensus on UK-EU relations reflecting the Britain of 2026 rather than that of 2016.
