A majority (56%) of people who voted Labour in July last year have said they think the UK is heading in the wrong direction – with over 3-in-5 (61%) of these voters who think this way pinning the blame on Brexit.

Ahead of Labour’s 2025 party conference, an exclusive YouGov poll of more than 4,000 people commissioned by Best for Britain, has found that the electoral coalition that swept the party to power just fourteen months ago blames Brexit for where it’s all gone wrong.

While well over half of those who backed Keir Starmer at the ballot box in July 2024 said the UK is heading in the wrong direction, this view was even stronger among the general public, of whom almost three quarters (72%) said the UK is on the wrong track. 

Brexit, which slashed UK GDP by 4% and wiped £40 billion from the Treasury’s annual budget is the number one reason for decline cited for this among 2024 Labour voters who believe the country is going in the wrong direction. As the Chancellor considers tax rises and spending cuts in the upcoming budget, three in five of these 2024 Labour voters (61%) say Britain’s withdrawal from the EU is the top reason things have gone pear-shaped, followed by the rise of Reform UK (48%) and the privatisation of public services (38%). Among members of the general public who believe the UK is headed in the wrong direction, the top three reasons were UK immigration policy (48%), Labour taking power (40%) and the UK exiting the EU (37%).

As previous polling has repeatedly shown, Brits overall firmly believe Brexit has been more of a failure for the UK, at close to two thirds (62%), jumping to four fifths (85%) among Labour’s 2024 voters. When asked why, almost two thirds (63%) of Labour voters at the last election said it is because Brexit damaged the economy; around half said it is because Brexit hadn’t resulted in any opportunities, such as extra NHS funding (54%); and because it damaged our ability to trade with Europe (47%). Significant numbers say it has divided the country (43%), and damaged our relationship with other European countries (42%).

Across members of the public as a whole who told us that they think Brexit has been a failure, almost seven in ten (69%) identify Nigel Farage as responsible – more than double any other current party leader. That includes 81% of people who voted Labour at the last election who think Brexit has been a failure.

People were also asked to give three words to describe how they felt about Brexit, and the results painted a bleak picture. The most common expressions were those of “anger” and “frustration” (28%), followed by “sadness” (16%), and “disappointment” or “let down” (15%). Feelings of betrayal and being lied to followed closely at 10%.

Tom Brufatto, Executive Director of Policy and Research at Best for Britain, said: 

“Far from being ancient history or a source of division, Labour’s winning coalition are of one mind in viewing our exit from the EU as a failure and – rightly – that its architect Nigel Farage is to blame.

“Tackling the painful legacy of Brexit, from the cost of living to energy prices, is vital if the government is to reinvigorate their base, take the fight to Reform UK, and turn the party’s fortunes around.”

Emily Thornberry, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, speaking personally, said:

“Best for Britain’s research confirms what we all know in our hearts – once voters saw that leaving the EU was costing them money and making it harder to fight international crime, they could see they’d been led up the garden path. And they rightly blame Nigel Farage.

“Nevertheless, the public expect the government to make the best of the situation and take a pragmatic and constructive approach to relations with our European partners, one that tackles the cost of living and keeps us all safer. 

“We must work quickly to deliver what was promised at the reset summit and where we can, we must go further.”