As for Nigel Farage, his close links to Trump and full-throated support for his agenda play well with his voter base – Reform UK voters are the only political group who were by and large happy to see Trump re-elected as president.
Kemi Badenoch has sought to align herself with Trump since he won office, likening her leadership of the Conservative party to his second term at a conference last week, even though attitudes towards the US president among Tory voters are divided.
Trump’s adoption of the Russian narrative on Ukraine, including calling Volodymyr Zelenskyy a dictator, put Badenoch in a difficult position and elicited a carefully worded statement in which she contradicted Trump on Zelenskyy but said he was right that European countries needed to increase defence spending.
A YouGov poll this week suggested half of voters thought it was in the UK’s interest to stand up to Trump and criticise his actions, compared with 30% who thought it better to build a positive relationship and refrain from criticism.
Polling consistently shows the US president is deeply unpopular with British voters, a majority of whom think ministers should now prioritise building bridges with the EU over the US.
