Nearly a decade on from the Brexit vote, six in 10 (58%) people who would cast their ballot in a second referendum said they would support the UK rejoining the EU
18:00, 05 Jan 2026Updated 18:33, 05 Jan 2026
This year sees the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
A majority of people would want to see the UK rejoin the EU if another Brexit referendum was held.
Nearly six in 10 (58%) people who would vote in a second referendum said they would cast their ballot to return to the EU. The finding in a Deltapoll survey for The Mirror comes ahead of the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Brexit vote this year.
Support for reversing Brexit was highest among 18 to 24-year-olds, where more than eight in 10 (86%) backed rejoining the bloc. Older voters were more likely to support remaining outside of the EU, by 51% to 49% among 55 to 64-year-olds, and 58% to 42% among over-65s.
Conservative and Reform voters both back the status quo by 66% and 82% respectively. But Labour and Lib Dem supporters want to rejoin the EU by 71% and 78%.
Every area of the country favoured returning to the bloc, but support was highest in Scotland (73%), followed by London (65%) and Wales (65%). It was lowest in the Midlands (53%) and the North (54%) but both regions still preferred rejoining the EU.
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Health Secretary Wes Streeting left the door open to joining a customs union with the EU in a break with the Government (Image: GETTY)
Keir Starmer has sought to repair the UK’s relationship with its European neighbours after years of Tory Brexit wars, and struck a trade deal with Brussels last year.
The Government announced the UK will rejoin the Erasmus+ programme, allowing British students to study abroad at universities in Europe for the first time since Brexit.
On Sunday, Mr Starmer signalled he could seek deeper ties with the EU and would consider “even closer alignment” with the single market.” But he rejected the idea of reversing Brexit. He told the BBC: “In our manifesto, we’re very clear about this. We said that we wouldn’t rejoin the EU, but we would seek a closer relationship with the EU. That is exactly what we’re doing.”
It comes after Health Secretary Wes Streeting broke ranks before Christmas to show support for a new customs union with the EU. Health Secretary Wes Streeting broke ranks before Christmas to show support for a new customs union with the EU. And TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak told the Mirror in December that closer links to Brussels were critical due to unreliable ally, Donald Trump.
Naomi Smith, Chief Executive of campaign group Best for Britain, said: “Our work consistently shows that voters think Brexit has been a failure. With Trump’s USA proving an ever less reliable ally and Putin’s army creeping ever closer into Europe, it’s no surprise the British public want to be back in the club.
“By making good on the promises of the summit last year, the UK can begin demonstrating its commitment as a trustworthy neighbour, which is a necessary precursor to joining the Customs Union, Single Market or even the EU itself.”
But the PM’s spokesman recently said rejoining the single market and customs union were “red lines” the Government would not cross.
He said: “We have been very open about the need to reset our relationship with the EU and strengthen that relationship while sticking to our red lines, and that position has been consistent.”
:: Deltapoll interviewed 1,997 British adults online between 16th December to 18th December 2025. The data have been weighted to be representative of the British adult population as a whole. ::