17. Current opinions of Brexit

brexit-fact-base-london — Photo by Alpaka Video/Shutterstock

Less than 5% of Britons mentioned EU/Europe/Brexit as a top issue in May 2026
Instead, British public’s top five issues according to Ipsos were:
- immigration/immigrants (41% of adults)
- economy (34%)
- inflation/prices (25%)
- NHS/hospitals/healthcare (22%)
- defence/foreign affairs (15%)
Public opinion on Brexit has reversed significantly compared to 2016 referendum result:
- majority, 66%, thinks, in hindsight, it was wrong to vote for Brexit vs 34% who don’t (YouGov, June 2026)
- a swing of 36 percentage points since 2016
61% see Brexit as more of a failure than success (YouGov, June 2026)
- including 32% of Leave voters
- a significant 19% considered it to be neither success nor failure
On rejoining the EU (YouGov, June 2026):
- 55% would vote to rejoin
  - exceeds support for customs union (50%) or single market membership (50%)
- 34% oppose rejoining
- 11% are undecided
- 59% support a closer relationship with the EU without rejoining EU, CU or SM
On impacts of rejoining the EU:
- most expect benefits for the economy, businesses and trade as well as influence and security
- fewer expect direct personal benefits
On rejoining and immigration:
- 41% believe that rejoining would lead to a higher level of immigration into the UK
- about the same number (37%) say it would make no real difference
  - those that believe Brexit was wrong tend to believe it would make no difference
On Freedom of Movement (YouGov, March 2026):
- 63% support reintroducing FoM for UK and EU citizens
- 47% support FoM if it means increased immigration