MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2023) Slightly over a half of people in the United Kingdom want the government to negotiate a closer relationship with the European Union, a poll commissioned by pro-internationalist campaign group Best for Britain has showed.
The survey of more than 10,000 adults, conducted by Focaldata between April 20 and May 9, found that 53% wanted London to pursue closer ties with Brussels, compared to 14% who wanted a more distant relationship and 23% who wanted it to remain uncharged.
Almost two-thirds of those sampled said they believed Brexit had created more problems than it had solved, up from just 57% recorded in December 2021. Only 21% of respondents said the United Kingdom's departure from the EU solved more problems than it had created.
"In just a few short years, public opinion in Britain has moved on from being pro-Brexit, to believing (then Prime Minister Boris) Johnson's deal has done more harm than good, to now supporting a closer relationship with the EU," Best for Britain chief executive Naomi Smith summed it up.
A majority � 52% � also said that the UK should keep its standards and regulations aligned with those of the EU past the end-of-year deadline, while 35% said it should diverge. At least 600 EU laws will expire automatically on December 31 under the UK's Retained EU Law Bill.
