The key facts

  • IPPR: rejoining the EU should become a medium-term goal for prosperity and security
  • 52% of voters support EU membership, 29% are against
  • IPPR proposes a 'European Defence Union' and a new European strategy for the government

IPPR report: post-Brexit strategy is outdated

The British think tank Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) published a report on Monday urging that Britain's return to the EU be made a medium-term goal in order to protect the country's prosperity, national security and democratic institutions. According to the authors, 'Russia's aggression, uncertainty over US policy and China's growing use of economic pressure' have undermined London's post-Brexit strategy. IPPR believes Britain lacks the economic and strategic scale to tackle these challenges alone, and calls for a broader 'reset' of relations with the EU that goes beyond individual trade and regulatory agreements.

Quotes and arguments of the authors

'The world for which Britain built its post-Brexit strategy no longer exists,' said IPPR chief executive Harry Quilter-Pinner. In his words, in the new era economic strength, security and political influence increasingly depend on scale that Britain cannot create on its own. IPPR associate director Laura Chappell called to 'stop talking about Brexit and focus entirely on the future': in her words, in protecting households from cost-of-living fluctuations, rebooting industry and ensuring security, the country 'lacks the weight to act alone'. 'In today's world we cannot take back control while remaining an outsider in Europe,' she added.

Polling data

A poll commissioned by IPPR and Persuasion UK showed that 52% of voters support joining the EU, while 29% prefer to remain outside the union. Among respondents who expressed a definite position, 64% supported membership and 36% opposed it. In a separate experiment, where voters were presented with various combinations of potential benefits, costs and arguments, average support for membership stood at 52%. The research also found that maintaining the current relationship with the EU was the least popular of the options offered.

IPPR proposals

The report argues that the EU has evolved since Britain's exit, taking on a more significant defence, industrial and economic role through increased defence spending, industrial policy and efforts to protect strategic supply chains. IPPR called on the government to develop a new European strategy, including cooperation in industrial policy and public procurement, as well as the creation of a European Defence Union. Under such a union, Britain could contribute in areas where Europe is heavily dependent on the US, including satellite communications. The think tank also recommended first strengthening public support and then seeking a mandate for EU membership — either through a new referendum or through a clear pledge in an election manifesto.

Context: the prime minister's position

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said in September that he would 'set out to the country' various options for long-term relations with the EU, noting that Brexit had 'done more harm than good'. Last week Burnham also accused Russia of interfering in the 2016 Brexit referendum and warned that Russian 'disinformation' was influencing political debate in France and Germany. Britain left the EU in 2020, four years after the referendum in which about 52% of voters backed leaving.