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Poll shows EU membership is top preference in nearly all British constituencies

A YouGov poll of 11,927 voters found EU membership is the preferred policy in 628 of 632 Great Britain constituencies, while only 11% favor loosening ties.

Published September 19, 2026 at 12:37 PM EDT

The short answer

A YouGov poll of 11,927 voters found EU membership is the preferred policy in 628 of 632 Great Britain constituencies, while only 11% favor loosening ties.

Poll shows EU membership is top preference in nearly all British constituencies

The Facts

Who
Prime Minister Andy Burnham, YouGov, Best for Britain, and 11,927 UK voters.
What
A constituency-level MRP poll showing public preference for rejoining the EU.
When
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Where
Great Britain
Why
The poll indicates a shift in public opinion toward rejoining the EU, which could influence future government policy.

A new poll of 11,927 UK voters found that rejoining the European Union is the most popular policy option in 628 out of 632 parliamentary constituencies in Great Britain. The Multilevel Regression and Poststratification (MRP) analysis, conducted by YouGov and commissioned by the campaign group Best for Britain, showed that 35% of respondents favor full EU membership. This exceeded the 18% who support the government’s current position of closer ties within existing red lines and the 11% who favor loosening ties with the bloc.

The survey excluded the 18 constituencies in Northern Ireland. According to the data, EU membership was the top choice in every British nation and region, with support particularly concentrated in Scotland, which contains seven of the top ten ranking seats. Only four constituencies—Ashfield, Clacton, Great Yarmouth, and Boston and Skegness—did not list rejoining as the top choice; in those seats, "don't know" was the most frequent response. These four seats are currently held by Reform UK and Restore Britain.

The polling also assessed specific trade arrangements, finding that a "halfway house" approach lacked broad support. Only 6% of voters backed joining the single market, and 5% supported a customs union. Among supporters of specific political parties, 67% of Green Party voters, 56% of Liberal Democrat voters, and 55% of Labour voters preferred rejoining the EU. In the constituency of Bristol Central, support for membership was at its highest, while in Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s seat of Makerfield, 29% favored rejoining compared to 24% who answered "don't know."

The scale of the shift is further highlighted by polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice, who stated that 61% of Britons now favor rejoining the EU against 39% who wish to stay out. This represents the highest average level of support for rejoining since 2016. The polling suggests a gap between the current government policy of maintaining "red lines" and the specific preferences of a plurality of the electorate in nearly every constituency.

In the immediate term, these results place political pressure on Prime Minister Andy Burnham and the Labour government to reconsider their current stance on EU relations. While the government has stated it is building a relationship to "unlock good growth in every postcode," the poll indicates that voters may prefer a more formal integration than the current strategy allows. A UK-EU summit is scheduled for later this year, where the government intends to take further steps toward deepening ties.

On Friday, September 18, 2026, Prime Minister Burnham met with Irish counterpart Micheál Martin to push for deeper ties. A government spokesperson stated that the administration remains focused on an "ambitious, close relationship" to strengthen the economy. However, Liberal Democrat MP Christine Jardine cited the poll as evidence that Brexit was an "economic mistake" and called for closer alignment with European allies.

Timeline of what happened

Key dates and decisions, in the order they occurred.

  1. September 18, 2026

    PM Burnham meets with Irish counterpart Micheál Martin

  2. September 19, 2026

    Polling data released by Best for Britain and YouGov

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Questions readers ask

What happened: Poll shows EU membership is top preference in nearly all British constituencies?

A new poll of 11,927 UK voters found that rejoining the European Union is the most popular policy option in 628 out of 632 parliamentary constituencies in Great Britain. The Multilevel Regression and Poststratification (MRP) analysis, conducted by YouGov and commissioned by the campaign group Best for Britain, showed that 35% of respondents favor full EU membership.

Who is involved?

Prime Minister Andy Burnham, YouGov, Best for Britain, and 11,927 UK voters.

When did this happen?

Saturday, September 19, 2026

Where did this happen?

Great Britain

Why does this matter?

The poll indicates a shift in public opinion toward rejoining the EU, which could influence future government policy.