Do Brits see America as an ally? Views shifted after Trump tariffs, poll finds

So much for the “special relationship.”

Less than half of Brits now view the U.S. as an ally, according to a new poll, which comes after President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on the U.K. and most of the rest of the world.

In the More in Common poll — conducted April 4-7 — 43% of respondents said they see the U.K. and U.S. as allies. Meanwhile, 34% said they are neither allies nor enemies, and 15% said they are enemies.

The results mark a noticeable shift from a March poll, in which 49% of respondents said they considered the two countries to be allies and just 8% labeled them enemies.

The latest poll was conducted shortly after Trump unveiled his “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2. They included a 10% baseline tariff on all foreign imports — including from the U.K. — and higher rates on dozens of other countries.

One week later — after global markets nosedived — Trump announced a 90-day pause on most of the higher tariff rates. However, he maintained the 10% baseline rate and increased the rate on China to 125% after the Chinese government imposed their own retaliatory measures.

Worry and retaliation

The poll — which sampled 2,058 British adults and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points — also asked respondents about the effect of Trump’s tariffs and whether they support retaliation.

Two-thirds of respondents, 67%, said they are very or somewhat worried about the U.S. tariffs, while 33% said they are not very worried or not at all worried.

By comparison, in the March poll — fielded before the tariffs were announced — 59% said they were worried, while 42% said they were not.

The U.S. accounts for about 15% of all U.K. exports, making it the country’s largest export partner, according to 2023 U.K. government statistics. Similarly, about 10% of all U.K. imports come from the U.S., making it the second-largest importer behind Germany.

Further, 51% also said they are in favor of the U.K. retaliating with its own tariffs on the U.S. while 27% said there should be no retaliation.

Starmer’s role and concessions

In being slapped with a 10% tariff, the U.K. managed to avoid higher rates that were imposed on other countries and blocs, including the neighboring European Union, which was hit with a 20% tariff (though these have since been temporarily reduced to 10%).

For this, many Brits credit U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who met with Trump at the White House in February and discussed tariffs, among other issues.

A plurality of poll respondents, 45%, said Starmer and the U.K. government have been almost entirely or somewhat responsible for securing the lower tariff rate. Meanwhile, 36% said the Labour leader was not very or not at all responsible.

Additionally, the poll asked respondents what concessions they would be willing to make to reverse Trump’s tariff.

Pluralities or majorities opposed all six of the concessions listed, though some received more support than others.

Thirty percent said they would strongly or somewhat support “stopping moves to restrict the use of social media for people younger than 16 in Britain,” while 41% said they strongly or somewhat opposed this.

Similarly, 24% said they would support “limiting the U.K. government’s ability to regulate content on social media in Britain,” while 42% opposed this.

The concession that garnered the most opposition was “allowing American companies to export chlorinated chicken into Britain.” A majority, 62%, opposed this measure, while just 16% supported it.

This story was originally published April 11, 2025 at 3:50 PM with the headline "Do Brits see America as an ally? Views shifted after Trump tariffs, poll finds."