1 week Ago By HuffPost UK
The majority of Brits no longer see the US as an ally to the UK, according to a new poll conducted in the wake of Donald Trump’s tariffs. The US president unveiled a series of taxes on foreign imports last week, including a 10% tariff on British goods. While that is the so-called “base rate” of Trump’s tariffs – other countries faced taxes of up to 34% – it does come on top of a global 25% levy on cars and steel products.
And, according to pollsters at More in Common, just 43% of Britons now see the US as an ally compared to 49% a month ago. More people now see the US as neither an ally nor an enemy, up from 30% to 34% over the last four weeks. Meanwhile, the number of Brits who actively see America as “enemies of the UK” has almost doubled – up from 8% in March to 15% in April.
The proportion of people who said they did not know how they saw the US has dropped from 13% to 8%. More than half (56%) also think Trump’s tariffs will have a negative impact on the UK-US relationship. A slightly smaller percentage (53%) think the import taxes will have an adverse effect on the cost of living, while 49% think it will have a negative impact on economic growth.
More in Common also discovered that 51% of the public believe the UK should hit back with retaliatory tariffs on the US – almost double the proportion (27%) of Brits who think we should not. At the moment, the government has insisted there will be no knee-jerk response to the tariffs, but that “nothing is off the table” – and there will a four-week consultation with businesses on how to response. It comes after reports that the EU is considering putting its own 25% tariff on American goods.
Not many Brits said they would be happy to see Starmer impose concessions in exchange for reduced tariffs. For instance, 62% of Brits would oppose allowing chlorinated chicken into the UK supermarkets, and 51% oppose allowing Russia to formally take parts of Ukrainian land. Respondents were most united when it comes to their reaction to the import tax, with 67% saying they are worried about the tariffs.
That’s up from 59% last week, when Trump first announced the news. Interestingly, most Brits (57%) see the UK’s 10% tariff as a Brexit benefit – and 45% give Starmer credit for securing such a rate. More in Common UK’s executive director Luke Tryl said: ”The comparatively low tariff on UK imports may have evoked sighs of relief in Westminster, but it has done little to ease the public’s sense of concern.
” However, he noted that most Brits now “want to see the government stand up to the US.” Tryl continued: “For many Britons, ‘Liberation Day’ threatens to further deteriorate the already strained relationship between our two countries. Less than half of the British public now see the US as an ally.
” “If there is a silver lining, it’s that the public finally feel they are seeing a dividend of Brexit – most Britons – including Remain voters – think that the lower tariff is a benefit of leaving the EU.” Related..
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