All but four UK constituencies would support reversing Brexit and rejoining the EU, new polling has shown, as Andy Burnham seeks a “deeper relationship” with the bloc and to win over voters.
New constituency-level polling of 11,927 UK voters found EU membership was by far the most popular policy option, with 35 per cent of people stating it as their preferred government proposal when it came to Britain’s approach to the bloc.
The YouGov poll commissioned by Best for Britain found 18 per cent backed the UK government’s current position of seeking a closer relationship with the EU, but within the government’s red lines, and just 11 per cent would prefer to loosen ties to the EU.
The poll places pressure on the prime minister to rethink Labour’s red lines on renegotiating Britain’s relationship with the EU, with campaigners suggesting the survey provides the party a “clear opportunity” to boost support in the next general election by growing closer to Brussels.
But the polling also revealed that a “halfway house” option was by far the least popular, with just 6 per cent backing a single market and 5 per cent backing a customs union.
The polling, seen exclusively by The Independent, found that restoring EU membership is the most popular approach in all constituencies, bar four Reform UK- and Restore Britain-held seats – Ashfield, Clacton, Great Yarmouth and Boston and Skegness – in which “don’t know” was the most popular answer. There are 650 parliamentary constituencies in total.
Tom Brufatto, policy and research director at Best for Britain, said the survey offers politicians of all parties a “roadmap to galvanise their support”.
“From the prime minister’s very own backyard, via the car manufacturers of the Midlands and the white cliffs of the Kent coastline, voters in virtually every single British constituency now back the UK restoring our place at the heart of Europe as their top choice on UK-EU relations, offering progressive politicians of all parties a roadmap to galvanise their support and see off the radical right threat from Reform UK,” he said.
“It’s no wonder, when independent economic research sets out how membership could boost our economy by some £92bn, at the very least, funding the redistributive growth agenda Andy Burnham has staked his premiership on.”
The prime minister used a meeting with his Irish counterpart Micheál Martin to push for deeper ties between the UK and the European Union on Friday, telling him looked forward to the UK having a “stronger and closer” relationship with the EU.
“In Europe, we are looking forward to a UK-EU summit later this year and, with Ireland in the presidency, wanting to take further steps to deepen the relationship with Europe,” he said.
The poll also revealed that EU membership ranked as the most favoured policy option in every British nation and region, especially Scotland, where seven of the top ten ranking seats are located.
Christine Jardine, Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West, said the polling shows it is “clear now that Brexit was a massive economic mistake”, and called on politicians to “repair the damage that has wreaked havoc in our communities”.
“The only way to clean up the mess is by getting far closer to our European allies; a future voters support and one our stability and security depend on,” she said.
Support was strongest among Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green Party current supporters, with 55 per cent, 56 per cent and 67 per cent respectively choosing the membership option as their preferred policy approach.
The constituency with the strongest support for EU membership was Bristol Central, while in Mr Burnham’s own seat of Makerfield almost three in ten (29 per cent) of people opted for EU membership, with ‘Don’t Know’ in second place on less than a quarter (24 per cent).
A government spokesperson said: “We are building an ambitious, close relationship with the EU that will strengthen our economy and unlock good growth in every postcode.”
It comes after the UK’s leading polling guru said support for rejoining the European Union is at its highest level since the Brexit vote – but political leaders need to seize the opportunity or it will all come to nothing.
Professor Sir John Curtice said public opinion had shifted despite a relative silence from many parties and “therefore, if you were to start to make the argument... you should be able to move the dial further”.
In an exclusive interview with The Independent, he said that 61 per cent of Britons now say they would vote to rejoin, compared to 39 per cent who say they would stay out.
“That is the highest figure that it has been, as an average over any extended period of time, all the way back to 2016,” he said.
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