This process began later for the UK, which joined the community in 1973; but it followed a similar trajectory, with British citizens responding to economic gains by supporting increased integration. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, by advocating the 1986 Single European Act, sought to maximize those gains.
英国的一体化进程开始较晚，1973年才加入经济共同体；但此后也经历了相似的轨迹，英国民众面对经济利益开始对推动一体化表示支持。首相撒切尔夫人大力倡导1986年单一欧洲法，力求收获最大的经济收益。按照罗马条约精神，她确保该法案重点开发一个开放和竞争的共同市场，所有成员都按照平等条件进行参与。