Brits think Starmer is getting it wrong on Trump
Almost half of Britons (47%) think Prime Minister Keir Starmer is doing a bad job managing the relationship with the US. This is up 14 percentage points since September 2025, a new poll by Ipsos shows.
The data is based on a representative sample of 1,058 adults aged 18-75 across Great Britain. Polling was conducted online between the 7-8 January 2026.
The data shows that two in five Britons (39%) believe that the US exerts its influence mostly for bad around the world, while 16% say it uses its influence mostly for good (32% say its influence is both good and bad). This is similar to sentiment in April 2025, following the introduction of tariffs.
Notably, the public remains divided on whether there is currently a ‘special relationship’ with the US, with 35% saying that there is one and a third (33%) saying that there isn’t. While perceptions have improved since the immediate post-tariff dip in April, they remain below the stronger support observed in 2024 and earlier.
Starmer in the firing line
The data shows that nearly half (47%) of Britons feel that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is managing Britain’s relationship with the US poorly, marking a 14-point increase in disapproval since September 2025.
Half of Britons (50%) now identify Europe as the most important partner for Britain, when compared with the US on 21% and the Commonwealth on 12%. This is a peak in sentiment since Ipsos began asking the question in 2019, indicating a small shift towards the continent that began in 2025, compared with earlier years.
Two-thirds (66%) of Britons say they do not like Donald Trump, up slightly from 61% who said they didn’t like the US President when he visited the UK last September. 27% say they do like him. 67% say Britain does not need a leader like him, while 26% believe that we do.
“Last autumn we saw the reputation of the US among the British public showing signs of recovery after the negative reaction to Donald Trump’s tariffs earlier in the year, but the beginning of 2026 sees the image of the US and its President slip back again,” said Gideon Skinner, Senior Director of UK politics at Ipsos.
“While in response, the importance of the European relationship to Britons climbs even higher. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for Keir Starmer as he seeks to maintain good diplomatic relations across both the Channel and the Atlantic, but this is becoming harder with criticism of his handling of the UK’s partnership with the US and the President increasing significantly since the time of Trump’s state visit four months ago.”
