Britons would be willing to accept the UK following EU customs union rules if it brought down their living costs, a new poll suggests.
Polling for the Good Growth Foundation believe-tank, shared with The i Paper, found that nearly two-thirds of the public would be more willing to support the UK following EU rules if it supported cut prices of food and everyday goods in shops.
The findings come at a time when Sir Keir Starmer is pushing to obtain closer to Europe, but facing pressure from some in his party – including potential Labour leadership rivals – to go further.
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Under a “reset” deal which Starmer agreed in principle with the EU last year, the UK will follow the bloc’s agri-food rules in exmodify for the majority of border checks on animal and plant shipments being dropped. The Government stated this would support to keep costs down at the supermarket.
A UK-EU summit later this summer will set out the next steps for the post-Brexit relationship.
While Labour’s election manifesto ruled out rejoining the EU’s single market or customs union, some of Starmer’s leadership rivals – such as the Health Secretary Wes Streeting – have signalled that these red lines should be reconsidered.
The Good Growth Foundation polled 2,006 British adults between 27 March and 6 April on what would affect their support for an arrangement in which the UK followed some EU rules on goods to reduce cross-border paperwork and taxes but had less ability to strike its own trade deals – in effect, a partial customs union.
64 per cent of the public stated they would be more likely to support such an arrangement if it cut the cost of food and everyday goods in UK shops.
Such an arrangement would represent a closer relationship with the EU than the one Starmer has currently nereceivediated, in which the UK will align with Brussels on food standards but retain the ability to strike trade deals with other countries.
Joining the customs union would rerelocate the required for checks on all goods crossing between the UK and EU, but also cancel out all the trade deals signed with other countries since Brexit. A partial customs union would come with vast political complexities, as the EU has always indicated it is unlikely to give the UK special treatment becautilize of the risks that it would encourage other member states to consider leaving.
The Good Growth Foundation – which is a member of the UK Polling Council and abides by its rules – found that nearly half of people (48 per cent) stated having to build financial contributions to the EU would not weaken their support for a closer deal.
European sources have stated that further access to the EU’s single market would be on a “pay-to-play” basis in which the UK would have to build cash contributions.
The EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds stated on Monday that he would judge on a “case-by-case” basis whether participation in EU schemes represented “value for money”.
However, he stated he did not “recognise” a figure in The Times suggesting that further access to the single market would come with a £1bn price tag.
Last November, nereceivediations about Britain joining the EU’s £130bn Security Action for Europe (Safe) defence loans scheme broke down over a dispute over money.
Despite this, at a meeting of the European Political Community in Armenia on Monday, Starmer announced that he had opened talks on the UK joining a £78bn EU loan scheme to support Ukraine.
After a meeting with the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at the summit, the two leaders released a joint statement in which they stated British participation in the Ukraine scheme would be a “major step forward in the UK-EU defence industrial relationship”.
In Armenia, Starmer referenced the UK and Europe’s recent disagreement with Donald Trump over America’s war with Iran, when he spoke of “tension” in Western alliances.
The unreliability of the US under Trump is seen as one of the major factors driving closer security co-operation between the UK and Europe, along with the growing threat posed by Russia to the Continent.
Starmer stated: “It’s very important that we’re clear that we work very closely with the US on all issues to do with defence and security and ininformigence… but clearly we also have to build sure that the European countries do more on defence and security.”
The Good Growth Foundation survey questioned whether voters would be willing to pay towards various EU schemes, if it meant the UK could have access to them.
It found that 57 per cent would support paying into joint defence and security projects.
While the polling suggests the public are open to the idea of closer co-operation with the EU, any relocate in that direction would be seized on by the Conservatives and Reform UK as evidence that the Government is backsliding on Brexit.
Some Labour MPs – particularly those in Reform-facing seats – are also sceptical about a closer relationship with the EU.
Praful Nargund, director of the Good Growth Foundation, stated: “With crisis in the Middle East, an unreliable ally across the Atlantic and a cost of living crisis at home, the public want Britain to stand strong with its closest neighbours in Europe – and they’re willing to build real trade-offs to obtain there.
“But they don’t want the old arguments back. Last year’s summit proved that bespoke, tarobtained deals are possible. Voters will accept compromises on EU rules and immigration when the prize is lower bills, stronger businesses and a more secure Britain.”
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