Nine years after the Brexit vote, the British public is showing signs of regret. In 2016, voters opted to leave the European Union in a close-call referendum, with 51.9% voting to leave and 48.1% to remain.
But nine years on, 56% of Brits say they believe the decision to leave the bloc was wrong, while around 31% of the public maintain it was the right decision, according to a new survey conducted by YouGov.
Asked whether Brexit has been more of a failure than a success, 61% said it had been more of a failure, 20% stated it was neither, while 13% argued it has been a success.
Of those who were disappointed by Brexit, 88% placed the blame on the UK’s Conservative party, while 84% said former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was to blame.
However, one in three of those surveyed also stated that the EU was responsible for Brexit’s shortcomings, including 60% of Leave voters.
On 20 February 2016, former British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the UK government would hold a formal referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union.
Following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, Cameron handed in his resignation.
In turn, the UK entered a period of political instability. A succession of four Conservative Prime Ministers — Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak — governed the country between 2016 and 2024, with Brexit negotiations among their key duties.
Despite these differences, the survey revealed that almost two-thirds of UK citizens now want a closer relationship with the European Union – a stance that is popular across all main parties (51-78%), as well as among Leave voters (60%).
Although Brits believe that closer ties with the EU could be beneficial, the question of whether there should be a referendum on rejoining the bloc remains a thorny one.
UK citizens remain unconvinced about holding a referendum in the near future. However, over a longer 25-year period, 52% backed a referendum, compared to 26% who said they would still oppose the idea.
