UK and EU leaders want a reset after Trump’s win – and now voters want it too

As UK and EU leaders seek to reshape relations ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House, public sentiment also appears to be shifting in favor of closer ties across the continent, according to a new survey.

A majority of Britons (55%) think the UK should rejoin the EU under Trump’s second term, and prioritize a stronger relationship with Brussels over the US (17%), a survey from the European Council on Foreign Relations showed on Thursday. There was also doubt that Britain would follow Trump’s lead on major foreign policy issues such as China and Ukraine.

On the continent, sentiment is unanimous, with the majority of respondents in all EU countries – and particularly Germany and Poland – supporting closer ties with the UK.

The survey, carried out after the US election, seeks to provide the latest picture of public opinion on Brexit, more than eight years after the historic vote.

The release comes days after UK Finance Minister Rachel Reeves on Monday spoke of a renewed relationship with Brussels during a trip to meet her EU counterparts – the first such meeting since Britain formally left the bloc in 2020.

“We no longer live in the world of Brexit. That world ended on November 5, 2024,” said Mark Leonard, ECFR founder and foreign policy expert, during an event in London to announce the findings.

“There is a clear and widely held desire on both sides of the channel for rapprochement,” he added.

This survey – which interviewed more than 9,000 people in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain – showed a special willingness on both sides to cooperate more on trade and security.

In the UK, the majority of respondents said they saw the improved relationship as helping with key priorities around migration, security and the economy. Meanwhile, respondents in Europe said they were open to giving the UK “special access” to the EU’s single market and access to the bloc’s research programs for greater security cooperation.

Both sides also expressed their willingness to consider free movement of people for a strong economic relationship.

Trump’s election on November 5 has added to the sense of unease in Europe, especially in terms of national security and the impact of potential tariffs, as the president-elect previously warned that the EU could be subject to new trade tariffs to address significant trade imbalances.

The UK, on ​​the other hand, which has a very small trade imbalance with the US, may be hoping that its “special relationship” across the Atlantic – and Trump’s Brexit deal – is enough to save it from more punitive measures.

Helle Thorning-Schmidt, former prime minister of Denmark and ECFR board trustee, told CNBC that it is expected — and in the UK’s interest — to pursue “as close a relationship with the US as possible.” But he said that should not prevent closer ties with the EU, either.

“If we want to reset, this is a good time,” he said, noting that the current backdrop could improve the UK’s position as it seeks an improved relationship with the EU. “This is a time when perhaps there is power (in the UK) to ask for more.”

Thorning-Schmidt, who was prime minister between 2011 and 2015, admitted, however, that there could be some “bad” ones that both parties want to put under Trump’s presidency.

“If there are future costs, do we retaliate? Is that the answer?” Thorning-Schmidt said.

“If we are asked to be more aligned with the US in terms of their China policy, that would be a binary choice,” he continued.

“And if the UK is somehow forced to choose between the US and the EU – which I don’t think they will – that’s probably a binary choice.”