Over 80% of 16 to 24-year-olds would vote to rejoin the EU, ITV poll finds
Over 80% of 16 to 24-year-olds would vote to rejoin the EU in a new referendum, an exclusive poll for ITV has found.
The UK voted to leave the EU by 52% in a referendum back in 2016, but our poll found just 17% of 16 to 24-year-olds would vote to stay outside the EU if there was another referendum – compared to a huge 83% who would vote to rejoin.
None of that age group was old enough to take part in the EU referendum.
The results of ITV’s poll, conducted by Savanta for the Peston programme, show that the feelings of young people are echoed in the general population.
A recent survey by YouGov found that 63% of the UK population would vote to rejoin the EU, compared with 37% who’d choose to remain outside.
The outcome following Brexit has been criticised even by the likes of Nigel Farage as not meeting expectations.
Farage’s Reform Party says the UK has not taken full advantage of being outside the EU and claims the Conservatives are to blame for managing the exit process poorly.
Sir Keir Starmer says he is resetting the UK’s relationship with Europe in a bid to get closer, while the Liberal Democrats want Labour to go much further by agreeing a new customs union with the EU.
Leader Sir Ed Davey says his long-term ambition is to rejoin the Union, but it is not currently a priority for his party.
It leaves the Greens as the only mainstream national party campaigning to rejoin the EU.
Prime Minister Starmer recently said he will seek “deeper economic integration” and “move closer to the single market” in more sectors.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, the PM said: “My message today is the United Kingdom is ready. We see the imperative. We see the urgency. We want to work together to lead a generational shift in defence industrial co-operation. Now this includes looking again at closer economic alignment.
“We are already aligned with the single market in some areas to drive down the prices of food and energy. We are trusted partners, and as the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Rachel Reeves) said this week, deeper economic integration is in all of our interests.
“So we must look at where we could move closer to the single market in other sectors as well, where that would work for both sides.
“The prize here is greater security, stronger growth for the United Kingdom 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.
“I understand the politics very well. It will mean trade-offs. But the status quo is not fit for purpose, and to me there’s no question where the national interest lies, and I will always fight for what’s best for my country.”
