𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Britain’s “special relationship” with the US has been shaken on Donald Trump’s watch, new polling has suggested. Only half of Britons (49%) now consider the US an ally and 11% see it as an enemy, according to research by More in Common.

In November last year, six in 10 people viewed the US as a friend of the UK. Britons are split on whether the US president is an ally (34%), an enemy (23%), or neither (29%). Just three in 10 citizens – and a mere 17% of Reform UK voters – trust Sir Keir Starmer’s Government to keep the country safe.

The scale of unease about the volatile international situation is laid bare, with 77% saying the world is more dangerous than the one they grew up in. The polling comes after weeks in which relations between the US and the UK have been strained over Mr Trump’s desire to take control of Ukraine and his claims NATO troops in Afghanistan shied away from the front line. The Prime Minister is in China, but just one in 10 Britons views the new superpower as an ally.

Luke Tryl, of More in Common, said: “To say that the past year has shaken how Brits see the ‘special relationship’ is an understatement. The US president’s unpredictability has left many feeling insecure about our ties with the US.”

More than half (53%) of people think Sir Keir’s way of engaging with Mr Trump is ineffective. Just 31% think it is effective. A third of Labour voters and 74% of Reform voters say the PM’s approach to dealing with the president is not effective.

Four out of 10 Britons say Sir Keir has been too friendly in his relationship with Mr Trump, with a mere 7% saying he has stood up to him too much. Only 31% say he has struck the right balance.

More than one in three (35%) now view China as an enemy and people are far more likely to oppose (45%) than support (28%) the planned Chinese “mega embassy” in the heart of London.

While 42% of people who voted Labour in the last General Election think the embassy should go ahead, compared with 36% who think it should be blocked, 62% of Conservative and 64% of Reform voters do not want it allowed.

Older Britons are the most likely to say the world has become more dangerous, with 93% of those aged 75-plus saying this.