New Best for Britain polling finds Brits want the government to respond to new US tariffs by deepening ties with our main trade partners such as the EU.

A poll by YouGov of over 2,000 adults undertaken on behalf of Best for Britain found that three times as many people think that increasing trade with the EU is the best course of action (43%) compared to those who think improving relations with Trump in the hope of an exemption for the UK is the way to go (14%). 

In fact, more people prefer increasing trade with nations such as Japan or Brazil (20%) over trying to improve relations with Trump's USA. Only one in ten believe the UK should place retaliatory tariffs on US goods.

Offsetting US tariffs by increasing UK-EU trade is supported by a clear majority of the voters that swept Keir Starmer to power last year (60%). This is a view shared by people who voted Lib Dem (63%) and is even the most popular option among Conservative voters (31%).

Only people who voted Reform UK prefer trying to convince Donald Trump with 42% saying improving relations with Trump is the way to go. Only one in twenty (6%) Labour voters said this would be the correct course of action.

The data

Poll commissioned by Best for Britain. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,187 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 19th - 20th March 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).