Britons now favour European allies over US as ‘unpredictable’ Trump returns, study finds
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It comes after Trump insiders told The Independent that the new US administration believes it has Sir Keir’s government “over a barrel” on trade as Britain becomes increasingly reliant on a US deal. Britons now favour Europe over the United States as an ally, a new study has found, marking a complete reversal of public opinion from almost 60 years ago.
The study, by the Policy Institute at King’s College London, found that a majority of 53 per cent now say Britain should prioritise Europe, compared with 31 per cent who say the opposite – an almost mirror image of opinion back in 1967, when the public favoured America over Europe by 53 per cent to 33 per cent.
Professor Bobby Duffy, director of KCL’s Policy Institute, said the shift is related to both the “febrile and unpredictable political atmosphere around the re-election of President Trump” and “the many years building closer ties to Europe since the 1960s.”.
It comes amid fears that the president’s plans to introduce tariffs and instigate a trade war will force Britain to choose between striking a trade deal with the incoming US president and continuing to pursue closer ties with the EU in a planned reset of Britain’s relationship with the bloc.
But in December, Sir Keir Starmer rejected demands that he make a choice between a trade deal with the US and closer relations with the EU, saying such a suggestion is “plain wrong”. Meanwhile, insiders this week told The Independent that Mr Trump’s new administration believes it has Sir Keir’s government “over a barrel” on trade as Britain becomes increasingly reliant on a US trade deal.
