Moving Forward: The Path to a Better Post-Brexit Relationship Between the UK and the EU

Seven years after the vote to leave the European Union (EU) and more than three years since the formal withdrawal, the United Kingdom (UK) needs a new debate on its future relationship with the EU. This is necessary because, as our analysis demonstrates, the British public have altered their views on Brexit, the UK’s economic realities demand a closer trading relationship with the union and rapid changes around the world demand a more collaborative and strategic partnership between these two close neighbours. New polling commissioned by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) demonstrates how significantly the British public have changed their views: 53 per cent of Britons today think the country was wrong to leave the EU while one-in-three – 34 per cent – believe the decision was the right one. This shift is attributable partly to the fact that almost one-in-five Britons – 18 per cent – who voted Leave in 2016 think their decision was wrong and partly to the more pro-European views of young people who are now entering the electorate.