Part of the argument against leaving the European Union was the huge rigmarole it would entail. Unrolling 40 years of integration was always going to be tricky, despite the assurances of some leavers.
While this argument was convincing remainers before we’d left the EU, it now seems to be working in reverse. The latest data from YouGov shows a marked contrast between the appetite for Britain rejoining the bloc compared to the desire for us not having left.
While the 12% margin between leaving and remaining is significant, the mere 2% difference between joining or not joining the EU is a margin error. Polls are not safe guides to how opinions change during an actual election, but the difference is intriguing.
Such numbers echo perceptions around the British exit from the EU in the last quarter of 2020. Broadly speaking more people regret the decision than endorse it, although neither side has an outright majority.
A month ago the anti-Brexit politician Andrew Adonis tweeted, “The campaign to rejoin Europe starts today.” It is early days for the rejoiners, but the evidence is already showing that preventing Brexit was an easier sell than reversing it.
