Almost half say it was wrong to issue the invitation, and only a quarter think it will improve UK-US relations
With Donald Trump set to arrive in the UK today on Air Force One, what do the British public make of the visit, Trump himself, and his impact on the UK?
New YouGov/Sky figures show that half of Britons (45%) think that it was wrong to invite Trump to come for a second state visit, compared to 30% who think it was the right move.
More than six in ten Labour (62%) and Lib Dem voters (64%) think the president should not have received another invitation, as do 70% of Green voters. Conservatives also tend to see the invitation as wrong, but at the much reduced rate of 46%.
By contrast, more than six in ten Reform voters (64%) back the visit.
While 71% of the public do think it is important that the British government maintains positive relations with Donald Trump, separate data from a recent YouGov/Times poll shows that only 26% think the state visit will result in any improvement. Instead, half (51%) expect that the trip will make little difference to Anglo-American relations either way.
When it comes to bilateral relations between Keir Starmer and Donald Trump, Britons are divided between 30% who think the PM has been “too positive towards Donald Trump, and should have done more to criticise him” and the 27% who say he has got the balance about right. Fewer (13%) think Starmer has been “too critical of Donald Trump, and should have done more to build a positive relationship”.
Almost three in ten Britons (29%) think that Starmer’s relationship with Trump has resulted in more favourable treatment for the UK than other countries have received. While more think that the prime minister’s relationship with the president has made no different to how the UK has been treated (38%), only 9% think the US has been worse off as a result.
Separately, while some have expressed concerns that the state visit invites the risk of wrongly involving the royal family in politics, only 26% of Britons believe there is a real risk that this will occur. Instead, 43% see no real risk, with the remaining 31% unsure.
How do Britons feel about Donald Trump?
YouGov’s most recent favourability figures (25-26 August) show just 19% of Britons have a favourable opinion of the US president, with 69% holding an unfavourable view (including 47% who are “very” negative about Trump).
Most Britons (53%) say that Trump’s presidency has had a negative impact on the UK, including 27% who think it has made a “very negative” difference. Only 9% see Trump’s tenure as having had a positive impact on the UK, while 27% don’t think it has made much difference one way or the other.
Reform UK voters differ markedly from other groups, with 30% saying Trump has had a positive impact on the UK, compared to 1-8% of other voters.
Nor do many Britons think the president is good for his own country. A separate YouGov/Sky poll finds that only 19% believe he is doing a good job as US president, compared to 59% who say he is doing a bad job – this latter figure includes 44% who say he is doing a “very” bad job.
Unsurprisingly, therefore, few Britons (22%) think it would be a good thing if the British government was more like Trump’s US administration. Reform UK voters are the exception, with 68% saying it would be good to more closely copy Trump’s methods.
Full results coming shortly
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Photos: Getty
