Press Release - 8th June 2008

Britain would vote yes to a renegotiated, looser relationship with the EU

Global Vision recently polled the British public on their attitudes to renegotiating a new, looser relationship with the EU. The major findings were:

When people were asked their ideal relationship with Europe, the option of choice was having a looser relationship with the EU based on trade and cooperation whilst opting out of political and economic union. 41% preferred this option, compared with 27% wishing to stay a full EU member and 26% wishing to withdraw altogether. This is consistent with all Global Vision's previous polling.
If a British Government negotiated a new relationship for Britain with the EU based on trade and cooperation, and this was put to the electorate in a referendum, a comfortable majority (64%) said they would vote in favour of the new relationship, whilst 26% said they would not.
Of those favouring a "looser relationship", 36% thought there was a "good chance" that it would be achieved. Of those who thought there was a "slim chance" or "no chance at all", 35% said that no British Government would ever enter into the required negotiations and 31% said that other EU countries would never agree to a new relationship for the UK.
When asked if Britain sought to negotiate a new, looser relationship with the EU but the rest of the EU refused to consider this, 57% said Britain should leave the EU under these circumstances, whilst only 33% said Britain should stay in.
If the Conservative Party committed to renegotiating Britain's relationship with the EU to a looser one based on trade and cooperation, this would be electorally advantageous to the Conservatives. 25% of Labour-leaning and 27% of Lib Dem-leaning voters would be "more likely" to vote Conservative (and 33% of "other" voters), whilst only 11% of Conservative-leaning voters would be "less likely" to vote Conservative.

Ruth Lea, Director of Global Vision, said: "A looser relationship with the EU based on trade and cooperation, rather the full political and economic integration, is consistently the option of choice for the British people. Moreover, if a British Government negotiated such a relationship, 64% would support the new relationship in a referendum. And, crucially, if Britain sought to negotiate a looser relationship but it was blocked by our EU partners, 57% would opt to leave the EU altogether."

Global Vision also recently polled the French, German and Polish public in their attitudes to a looser relationship with the EU. The major findings were:

Attitudes varied between "New Europe" and "Old Europe".
Nearly a half (48%) of Polish respondents favoured a looser relationship with the EU, based on trade and cooperation, whilst opting out of political and economic, whilst less than 30% of the French (29%) and the Germans (26%) supported it.
When asked if Britain did not wish to pursue further political integration, should Britain have a special, looser relationship or should it leave, 36% of Poles said Britain should leave the EU. The corresponding data for France and Germany 65% and 48%.

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Notes to editors

1. Further commentary on the latest Global Vision polling, including a pdf of the original ICM polls, can be found at http://www.global-vision.net/Global1840.htm# (European Attitudes Survey) and http://www.global-vision.net/Global1839.htm# (EU Relationship Survey)