A clear majority of UK voters believe the government should prioritise strengthening trade ties with the EU over pursuing a new economic deal with the United States, according to new polling released this weekend.
The findings, published by the internationalist thinktank Best for Britain, suggest that public opinion has shifted decisively since the Brexit referendum, with many voters now viewing the UK’s economic future as more closely aligned with its European neighbours. The trend has been reinforced in recent days by the financial market turmoil triggered by President Trump’s escalating trade war, which has cast further doubt on the stability of future UK-US trade relations.
The polling — carried out by YouGov between 31 March and 2 April, as Trump’s tariff policy was unfolding — found that 53% of voters believe closer EU ties would positively impact the UK economy, compared to just 13% who saw it as negative. In terms of trade specifically, 68% of respondents said they believed improved EU relations would boost UK-EU commerce.
Asked what Prime Minister Keir Starmer should prioritise at the upcoming UK-EU summit in May, the most popular choice was “trade between the UK and the EU”, narrowly ahead of issues such as illegal immigration and defence cooperation. Even among voters who said they would consider backing Reform UK, nearly half said better EU ties would improve trade and travel — far outnumbering those who viewed it negatively.
By contrast, when presented with 20 potential government priorities, securing new trade deals with the US ranked just 17th, far behind concerns about inflation, the tax burden, and economic growth.
“Voters expect the Prime Minister to come away with more than just a defence pact when he hosts EU leaders in May,” said Naomi Smith, chief executive of Best for Britain. “They want him to prioritise removing trade barriers to reduce costs and boost growth. It’s clear the public prefers trade with the EU over trying to strike a deal with Donald Trump.”
The study used the “Max-Diff” polling method — considered more effective when assessing multiple policy preferences — by asking voters to rank their top and bottom priorities to reveal clear patterns in public opinion.
The survey also found that 62% of respondents understand that the government is seeking a closer EU relationship, but 35% believe it isn’t going far enough, compared to just 15% who think the current approach is about right. Among Labour’s 2019 winning coalition, more than half said the government should be doing more to rebuild ties.
Recent analysis by Frontier Economics supports the public view, finding that deeper EU alignment could boost UK GDP by up to 1.5%, enough to offset the impact of Trump’s tariffs on the UK entirely, and by a third for the EU.
Business leaders and diplomats have added their voices to the growing consensus. Peter Norris, chair of Virgin Group, said: “As the last week has painfully shown, Trump is bad for business. We urgently need to strengthen trade ties with Europe to protect consumers and businesses from the fallout of this global uncertainty.”
Lord Darroch, former UK ambassador to the US, added: “The current US administration has shown little appetite for doing favours — even for allies. With the global order in flux, the UK must seek stability through deeper cooperation with Europe, while keeping cordial relations with Washington.”
With public, political and economic momentum moving towards a reset in UK-EU relations, Starmer is under pressure to make trade a central theme of the May summit — and show that Britain is ready to rebuild bridges with its biggest trading partner.
