British Labour leaders push EU re‑entry as poll shows 55% public support

Ten years after the 2016 Brexit referendum, the issue has resurfaced in UK politics, dividing the ruling Labour Party. Former health minister Wes Streeting, a potential successor to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, labeled Brexit a “catastrophic mistake” and advocated for Britain to re‑join the European Union. A YouGov poll reported that 55 % of Britons would favour re‑integration, while senior Labour figures such as Andy Burnham have also expressed support for a return to the EU.

At the same time, economic analyses suggest the impact of Brexit on the UK economy remains unclear. The IMF raised its GDP growth forecast for Britain to 1 %, and recent data show UK growth and export performance comparable to those of the EU, making it difficult to separate Brexit’s effects from those of the COVID‑19 pandemic.