Keir Starmer largely avoided talking about relations with the EU during the 2024 election campaign as Labour aimed to avoid alienating leave voters as in the 2019 general election.
Some suggested this could indicate a desire to re-enter the customs union or single market however, Starmer ruled this out before the vote.
Starmer insisted that the UK would not rejoin the EU, the single market, or the customs union within his lifetime.
Now, a new YouGov poll shows the public does not think Labour’s election victory even gives Starmer a mandate to take Britain back into the EU.
What does Labour have a mandate for on Brexit?
Some 51 per cent of Britons say Labour’s election victory does not give them a mandate to bring Britain back into the EU
YouGov
Some 51 per cent of those polled say it does not give the Labour government a mandate to bring Britain back into the European Union, while only 21 per cent say it does.
Meanwhile, two-thirds of Leave voters (67 per cent) deny the new government has a mandate to join the EU, and so do Remain voters by 48 per cent to 28 per cent.
Those who voted Labour in 2024 answered at almost exactly the same rate as Remain voters (47 per cent vs 27 per cent).
Likewise, the public also says Labour does not have the authority to rejoin the single market or customs union although fewer people say so.
Some 40 per cent of Britons think Labour can’t bring Britain back into the single market compared to 24 per cent, and 38 per cent say the same thing for the Customs Union compared to 25 per cent who believe so.
The poll, conducted between July 23 and 24, also found the public does not consider Labour to have the authority to further loosen ties with the EU, by 44 per cent to 19 per cent.
But, another 40 per cent of respondents think Labour do have a mandate to keep Britain’s current relationship with the EU as it is, while 23 per cent say they do not.
When asked if Labour have a mandate to bring Britain into a closer relationship with the European Union, without rejoining the EU, the single market or the customs union, 45 per cent of the public agreed, while 21 per cent did not.
This is in line with what Labour pledged to do in their 2024 election manifesto and is also the option which garners the most public support.
More than six in ten Britons (63 per cent) say they would want a closer relationship with the EU, without rejoining its major institutions.
This support is high amongst 2024 Lib Dem voters (81 per cent), Labour voters (70 per cent) and 66 per cent of Conservative voters. Over half (52 per cent) of Reform UK voters are also in support.
Most Britons say the UK was wrong to vote to leave the European Union
This graph shows that 55 per cent of respondents think in hindsight, it was wrong for Britain to leave the EU
YouGov
LATEST FROM MEMBERSHIP:
There is also support for Britain rejoining the Customs Union (49 per cent vs 20 per cent) and the Single Market (48 per cent to 25 per cent).
The least supported option amongst Britons is to further loosen ties with the EU as 59 per cent oppose this idea and 22 per cent are in support.
Nevertheless, although the majority of Britons think Labour does not have a mandate to bring Britain back into the EU, it does not mean they do not want to rejoin the EU.
When asked how Britons would vote if there was a new EU referendum, Britons would vote to rejoin by 59 per cent to 41 per cent.
Furthermore, while the UK voted to leave the EU by 52 per cent to 48 per cent, in hindsight, 55 per cent of Britons think it was wrong to leave and only 34 per cent think it was right.