The UK public is still more likely to say that the United States (30%) is this country’s greatest ally following Donald Trump’s victory in the US election, over European Union (25%) and Commonwealth nations (23%), according to new research from Savanta.
Savanta’s findings suggest that 2024 Labour voters (33%) are more likely to believe EU countries are the UK’s best allies, while 2024 Conservative voters say it is the US (42%), followed by Commonwealth nations (26%), with the EU countries last (14%).
There is cross-party consensus that Russia (52%) is the UK’s greatest threat, over China (13%) and Iran (7%). Although Reform UK voters are less likely to say that Russia (46%) is the biggest threat compared to 2024 Labour (55%), 2024 Conservative (61%) and 2024 Liberal Democrat (60%) voters.
Ahead of the G20 Summit in Brazil, UK adults say that the top priorities for global leaders should be:
- Managing migration (22%).
- Tackling climate change (15%)
- Peace efforts with the Middle East (15%)
- Negotiated settlement between Russia and Ukraine (15%)
- Reducing global poverty (13%)
- Regulating AI / new technologies (4%)
Chris Hopkins, Political Research Director at Savanta says:
“Despite knowing the likely unpredictability of the incoming Trump administration, the UK public is still more likely to say that the United States is this country’s greatest ally, over European Union and Commonwealth nations. Interestingly, Labour voters are more likely to say countries like France and Germany are stronger allies over the US – something for Starmer’s government to think about.”
“UK adults narrowly say that the top priority for global leaders should be managing migration, over climate change and peace in the Middle East. But the public is much clearer on who is our greatest threat – Putin’s Russia is seen as far more dangerous than China or Iran.”
