More than four in 10 Britons believe Labour intends to reverse Brexit and rejoin the EU, a shock new poll has found.
Sir Keir Starmer has been at pains to clarify Labour’s position of keeping the UK out of the bloc – repeatedly ruling out membership of Brussels’ single market and customs union.
But Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey found 41 per cent of voters still think that Labour policy is to take Britain back inside the EU.
Only 16 per cent of voters told the pollster Labour’s policy was to stay out. While 23 per cent said they did not know Sir Keir’s position, some 20 per cent said Labour had no clear policy on Brexit.
A spokesperson for Redfield & Wilton Strategies said there was growing evidence that the Brexit row which divided British voters has been “superseded in political importance by more traditional divisions”.
They added: “Consequently, while Britons may not be certain of Labour’s position on Europe for now, this lack of awareness comes with little cost in terms of support for the party.”
While Labour has ruled out single market or customs union membership, the party supports a new veterinary deal with Brussels to ease the “mountain of red tape” faced by UK firms trading with Britain’s nearest neighbours.
Some 47 per cent of voters say they support Labour’s position on “making Brexit work”, with only 14 per cent opposed. But there appears to be confusion about what Sir Keir’s rhetoric means.
While 32 per cent say Labour seeks a closer relationship with the EU, 31 per cent say the party is in favour of the status quo or a more distant relationship, and 39 per cent say do not know or that Labour is unclear.
Keir Starmer at anti-Brexit rally in 2019
Only 35 per cent of voters think Sir Keir is genuine about this position on Brexit, while 33 per cent who believe he is not genuine and 32 per cent say they don’t know.
Labour’s foreign secretary David Lammy has hinted that the party’s policy could inch forward to forge closer ties with Brussels ahead of the 2025 review of Boris Johnson’s Brexit trade deal.
Mr Lammy told LBC last month that the idea of a veterinary deal to ease sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks on goods is a “floor not a ceiling” and said he wants “to hear what business has got to say over the coming months”.
The Labour Movement for Europe group, chaired by senior MP Stella Creasy, has proposed a promise to negotiating a bespoke customs union with the EU as part of the party’s next manifesto.
The group has tabled amendments to Labour’s national policy forum, which is finalising a policy agenda for the manifesto going into the 2024 general election.
As well as ruling out single market membership and a customs union, Sir Keir has ruled out any return to free movement of people between the UK and the EU, calling it a “red line” his party.
