A majority of Britons are in favour of joining the European Union’s single market, even if it means restoring the free movement of workers out of the bloc, a poll released on Wednesday (29 November) showed, Reuters reports.
The fight against immigration was one of the main reasons why Britons voted to leave the European Union in 2016. Polls in recent months have shown that most people now see Brexit as a mistake. Wednesday’s poll comes less than a week after data showed annual net migration to the United Kingdom hit a record high last year – more than double what it was the year before the Brexit vote.
According to a YouGov poll, 57% of Britons would be in favour of joining the single market, even if it meant reintroducing free movement of people – a policy that brought millions of families and workers to Britain during the country’s EU membership. One in five voted against. Support for joining the single market, which also guarantees the free movement of goods and services, is divided along political lines.
Among respondents who voted to leave the EU and support the opposition Labour Party in tomorrow’s election, 53% support membership of the single market, while 31% oppose it. Among those who voted in favour of Brexit and intend to vote for the ruling Conservatives, only 29% would support a return to the single market, while 54% would oppose it.
Labour, which has a good chance of winning the next election, has pledged to improve the country’s trading relationship with the bloc, but party leader Keir Starmer has said he does not want a return to the single market.
Overall, according to the poll, 72 per cent of Britons want the country to have closer ties with the EU.
