Starmer is looking to reset ties with the EU – and 83% of young Brits now want to rejoin
A new poll reveals that 83% of young Brits who were too young to participate in the 2016 Brexit referendum would now vote to rejoin the European Union if given the chance.
The poll, conducted by ITV, questioned 1,040 UK-based 16- to 25-year-olds between 4-9 February 2026. It found that just 17% would prefer to stay outside the EU in a hypothetical new referendum, highlighting a dramatic generational shift a decade after the UK voted 52% to leave.
None of those in this age group could vote in the original 2016 referendum, where the leave campaign triumphed amid promises of greater sovereignty and control.
Yet today’s young adults, shaped by post-Brexit realities including trade frictions, travel hurdles, and economic pressures, appear overwhelmingly in favour of returning to the bloc.
The findings come amid broader signs of changing sentiment. A separate YouGov survey recently showed 63% of the overall UK population would now vote to rejoin, against 37% who would stay out, indicating the generational divide is widening, with younger voters leading the charge.
Resetting ties with the EU
Last week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer signalled a significant shift in Britain’s post-Brexit strategy, advocating for deeper economic ties with the European Union. The announcement comes alongside a major military deployment to the Arctic amid escalating geopolitical tensions.
Starmer, speaking alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, declared that the current UK-EU relationship is “not fit for purpose” and called for closer alignment with the single market in additional sectors.
“The prize here is greater security, stronger growth for the UK and the EU, which will fuel increased defence spending, and the chance to place the UK at the centre of a wave of European industrial renewal,” he said in a speech on Saturday (14 February).
The move comes as the UK seeks to bolster its economic and security partnerships in the face of global uncertainties, including ongoing conflicts and trade pressures.
