The Special Relationship

March 21, 2012, 2:16 PM GMT+0

54% think UK-US relationship is close, but 83% think Britain has no influence over US policy

Some people talk of a special relationship between Britain and the US. When considering this, half of Britons feel that it is important for leaders to maintain a friendship, and that the relationship between Britain and the US is a very close one. However, almost 1 in 5 people don't think a relationship with the US is that important, our poll shows.

  • In 2011, 64% said they thought the relationship was close, while 29% said it wasn't
  • Today, 54% think the relationship between Britain and the US is close (45% fairly close, 9% very close); while 40% say the relationship is not close (31% not very close, 9% not at all close)
  • 50% of Britons today agree that it is important for leaders of the US and Britain to have a close personal friendship
  • 17% don't believe that a close friendship with the US is important

Since David Cameron became prime minister, the nation is split as to whether Britain's relationship to the US has improved or worsened

  • Today, 54%say the British government's relationship with the US has stayed about the same since David Cameron became prime minister, 26% think it has gotten better, and 13% think it has gotten worse
  • 20% said they think Britain should have a stronger relationship with the US, 21% said we should have a weaker relationship, 49% said it should stay the same

An important ally

The general consensus among Britons today is that the US is Britain's most important foreign ally. Despite this, most still feel that Britain has no influence over US policy, and that the US does not consider Britain's interests

  • 83% say Britain has no influence over US policies, and just over 1 in 10 (11%) feel that Britain has some influence on US policies
  • 63% of Britons believe that the US does not consider Britain's interests, however, 10% from believe the US does consider Britain's interests
  • 60% of Britons believe that the US is Britain's most important ally, meanwhile 14% don't believe they are the strongest
  • 34% of Britons agree that the success of the British economy depends on good relations with the USA, while a quarter (25%) disagree with this notion

In a joint article for the Washington Post, David Cameron and Barrack Obama said the alliance between the UK and US was "a partnership of the heart, bound by the history, traditions and values we share."

A strong 'bad' relationship?

There has been speculation that President Obama is simply 'wooing' Cameron to serve his own purposes, with Cameron being referred to as the 'heir to Blair,' referring to when the former PM Tony Blair was called President Bush's poodle as Britain was "led by the nose" into a war with Iraq.

The Telegraph reports that the opinion that "a White House aflame with love for Britain is a White House to be feared."

Further downplay of the relationship can be found in The Independent, who has labelled the relationship between the two nations as one "hurt by inattention, notably from the US side" as Washington has opposed British opinion on issues such as the Falklands and the Federalising of the European Union.

See the full details and results here (pages 7-9)