For Britons, Is Rejoining the EU as Simple a Solution As It Sounds? 

Last updated on October 1, 2025

Brexit was no doubt catastrophic. It’s no surprise why some have called for Britain to rejoin the EU. But today is a little different.

Indeed, ever since 2020, the story has not been one of isolation, but of recalibration.

From ending steel tariffs between one another, to merging energy supplies to lower costs, to funding cutting-edge research through the Horizon Europe initiative, both the UK and EU have committed to cooperation without having to reunify.

And that’s actually the future Britons want. A poll quantified that ⅔ of Britons want to stay on the course of collaborating with the EU, not rejoining it.

That’s because it’s working. The UK’s economy increased nearly 1% in the first quarter of 2025 and has become the second most attractive country in the world for investment – extremely healthy growth that exceeded expectations.

When the UK and EU have finally found their footing, rejoining is now unnecessary and actually could worsen this newfound upward trend.

First, let’s look at the short-term consequences. The problem with Brexit wasn’t leaving per se, but the uncertainty of such a seismic shift in governance, regulation, and trade flows. No one knew if tariffs would be imposed, if pharmacies needed new licenses, or if foods would face new sanitary checks. So, investors and businesses played it safe, holding back investment, hiring, and exports –  fearing commitments could backfire under new rules. 

Unfortunately, rejoining would only recreate that seismic shift. By requiring a complete overhaul of the British economy to be compatible with the EU again, it would revive the very uncertainty that destabilized the UK the first time.

Even after the uncertainty dissipates, for British businesses to re-adapt to EU rules, it would add billions in compliance costs annually — a burden small businesses can’t absorb, especially after already restructuring for Brexit just five years prior.

Thus, a recent survey found that 64% of UK businesses are satisfied with the current economic arrangement, having already rebuilt their operations after Brexit.

So as uncertainty drives Britons to “play it safe” and businesses struggle to re-adapt, rejoining would likely cause a recession, putting millions at risk of going into poverty.

The second way rejoining harms the UK’s citizens is by preventing long-term innovation. Ever since Brexit, the UK and EU have charted opposite regulatory paths. While the EU hyperregulates through thousands of pages of strict rules on the most niche of topics, the UK is much more hands off, allowing entrepreneurship to thrive.

Take tech, for example. The General Data Protection Regulation, EU’s main technology law, increased compliance costs, shrinking business profits by 8 percent and causing an exodus of innovative tech companies. 

Britain, thanks to its lax regulations, is nearly the opposite. London ranks fourth in the number of start-ups created, and the tech industry – driven by recent advancements in AI, quantum computing, and cybersecurity – is well on its way to being worth 1 trillion pounds. 

Unfortunately, rejoining would force the UK to jump onto the EU regulatory train – spelling disaster for everyday people that benefit from innovations. If the UK tied itself to the EU’s suffocating system of rules, there is no doubt that it would miss out on huge GDP growth.

Ultimately, the dust has finally settled and the UK and EU are forging a path forward. Just because leaving the EU was bad does not mean rejoining is the solution. The smartest path is the one Britons already support: steady cooperation without crawling back.