Five years after the official completion of Brexit, 46% of Britons believe that improving trade relations with the EU should be a priority, compared to 21% who think that the UK government should prioritize a trade agreement with the United States following the arrival of Donald Trump.
A survey sponsored by Best for Britain and published by The Observer reveals general discontent over the impact of Brexit, with data showing a decrease in exports equivalent to 32 billion euros annually and an estimated annual GDP reduction between 1.5% and 4%.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who aims to "reset" relations with the EU but has not yet proposed a specific measure, finds himself negotiating a trade agreement with Washington, once promised by Boris Johnson as the best "reward" of Brexit.
Starmer spoke for the first time by phone with the new occupant of the White House on Sunday, in a "warm and constructive" conversation that lasted 45 minutes. According to a Downing Street spokesperson, Trump did not threaten with imposing tariffs as he did with other countries (in contrast to his advisor Elon Musk, who told Starmer that "he is doing very well so far").
Chlorinated chicken reemerges as the main obstacle between London and Washington, but what concerns the British the most (and 66% of Labour voters) is how to approach Brussels and improve trade relations with the 27.
"The Brexit agreement is not working well for small or large companies trying to export," admitted Treasury Secretary Rachel Reeves, for the first time since the Labour Party came to power seven months ago.
Reeves is open to considering "constructive ideas" such as the proposal recently made by Vice President of the European Commission Maros Sefcovic, who suggested during his visit to Davos that the UK could join the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention (PEM), signed in 2012 and including the EU and countries like Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Moldova, Ukraine, Morocco, Egypt, Israel, or Jordan.
The convention signed by 25 "parties" aims to promote trade and integrate supply chains within the zone. In the event of integration, as Sefcovic pointed out, the UK would be required to undergo a "dynamic realignment" to reduce trade barriers.
Joining the PEM has been circulating in the past week as the most credible alternative to rejoining the customs union or the single market, both ruled out in advance by the Labour Party precisely to avoid reopening Brexit wounds.
"We are willing to consider proposals consistent with the red lines outlined in our manifesto," declared Rachel Reeves on Sky News, remaining firm despite increasing pressure from the business community and a faction of the party (Labour Movement for Europe) calling for closer ties with the EU for economic growth.
"If we are serious about combating economic stagnation, we cannot ignore the European Union," warns former Labour candidate Prafu Nargund, leading the Good Growth Foundation. "There is an open path towards a closer relationship with the EU that does not have to be electorally disastrous, but quite the opposite."
In fact, the Best for Britain survey detects majority support for the new approach to the EU throughout the red belt, which in 2019 voted for Boris Johnson under the slogan of "fulfilling Brexit." "With Trump threatening to impose new tariffs, the government should listen to voters and reduce trade barriers with our largest market before seeking agreements elsewhere in an increasingly protectionist world," warns Naomi Smith, head of Best for Britain.
Nigel Farage, leader of the nationalist Reform UK and a special guest at Trump's inauguration, has, however, entered the debate calling for a shift towards Washington: "Any attempt to align with the EU as part of a reset of relations with Brussels will limit our flexibility in negotiating an agreement with the United States."