A new survey conducted by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), in collaboration with YouGov and Datapraxis, highlights how British citizens now favor the European Union over closer ties with Donald Trump's United States. Surprisingly, the findings indicate that even a majority of Britons who supported Brexit now favor rejoining the EU, largely driven by the desire for unrestricted movement across member states.
As a reminder, the United Kingdom officially left the EU, a process referred to as "Brexit" (a combination of "Britain" and "Exit"), on January 31, 2020, at 11:00 PM. This marked the end of 47 years of UK membership in European institutions. The decision to leave the EU was made in a referendum held on June 23, 2016, in which 51.9% voted in favor of leaving, compared to 48.1% who wished to remain.
"The Russian invasion of Ukraine and Donald Trump's election as US president have fundamentally altered the context of EU-UK relations," stated the ECFR report. "There is an extraordinary consensus among both Britons and Europeans that it is time to reassess the severed ties of 2020."
The ECFR survey, conducted with over 9,000 participants from the UK and the five most populous EU countries—Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Poland—in the weeks following the Republican candidate's victory in the US presidential election, revealed widespread enthusiasm in Britain for rekindling ties with Europe.
Why the change? One likely reason lies in the harsh rhetoric of the newly elected US president toward the EU throughout his campaign. "The EU looks so cute, so charming. All these beautiful European villages coming together… right? No, because in reality, they're robbing us," Trump remarked in one of his well-known speeches in Pennsylvania. "They don't buy our cars or our agricultural products—they've become a little China."
In response, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reminded the Republican candidate that the US and the EU are "more than just allies." Following his sweeping victory, she tweeted: "We are bound by a true partnership for the benefit of our people—let's work together to advance a stronger transatlantic agenda than ever."
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also addressed Trump's victory, calling it a "historic win." On his X account, Starmer wrote that he is prepared to work "side by side" with the Trump administration to defend shared values of "freedom, democracy, and entrepreneurship." Starmer also emphasized the "special relationship" between London and Washington, expressing hope that it would "continue to thrive for many years."
However, it seems that sentiments of cautious celebration have seeped into the British public, prompting many to prefer closer ties with Europe over alignment with the US. Notably, the survey's most striking finding centers on the strong desire of most Britons for unfettered movement within the EU and access to a unified market governed by single regulations. The numbers leave little doubt: the British public wants change.
When asked by the European Council on Foreign Relations, "Would you like British citizens to be able to move freely throughout Europe, and for European citizens to move freely in the UK?" 68% of Britons responded positively, 14% were undecided, and 18% opposed freedom of movement. These figures starkly contrast with the results of the 2016 referendum.
Many Europeans shared the sentiments of their British counterparts: 45% of Germans expressed a desire for closer ties with the UK, as did 44% of Poles, 41% of Spaniards, 40% of Italians, and 34% of French respondents. While it is well-known that surveys do not change reality—and often fail to fully reflect it—it is difficult to ignore the possibility that the British government might reconsider the balance of power on the continent. Perhaps even beyond.
