As the Prime Minister prepares to host EU leaders next month, a major new poll reveals that improving trade with Britain’s largest market is the public’s top priority.
Analysis of a YouGov poll of almost 5,000 people found that when it comes to negotiations with the EU, Brits expect trade to be the government’s top priority above all other options, including improving defence and security cooperation and tackling illegal immigration across the English Channel.
With the cost of living dominating public concerns, the data shows that a majority of respondents (53%) think a closer relationship with the EU will drive economic growth. Even among people who said they would consider voting for Reform UK at the next election, more than half (54%) said closer EU ties would have a positive impact on trade. This compares to one in ten (11%) potential Reform voters who said it would have a negative impact.
Recent independent economic analysis by Frontier Economics found that even in the face of Trump’s trade war, a common sense deal with the EU that includes deeper alignment on goods and services would secure economic growth of up to 1.5%to UK GDP offsetting the impact of US tariffs completely for the UK and by a third for the EU.
However, the poll found that while a majority (62%) understand that the government is seeking a closer relationship with the EU, only a small minority think the government’s current approach is about right (15%) with more (35%) saying they should go further in deepening ties with our closest neighbours. Among Labour’s winning coalition at the last election, a clear majority believe the government is not going far enough (54%).
The survey found that the public cares little for Starmer’s efforts to strike a deal with Donald Trump. Keeping the door open to a trade deal with the USA was second to last in a list of public priorities with protecting food standards, tackling climate change, and 15 other options ranking higher than a cosier relationship with Donald Trump.
Naomi Smith, Chief Executive of Best for Britain, said,
“Voters expect the Prime Minister to come away with more than just a defence pact when he hosts EU leaders in May and want him to prioritise removing trade barriers in the interests of bringing costs down and getting growth. They want trade before defence, trade before Channel crossings, and definitely trade with the EU before trade with Donald Trump.”
Peter Norris, Chairman of Virgin Group said:
“As the last week has so painfully demonstrated, Trump is bad for business, consumers and savers. He has wreaked havoc in international markets and left us all on the precipice of a global recession that would mean real pain for people in the UK.
“It is of the utmost urgency that our UK Government work with our reliable partners in the EU to remove the artificial trade barriers between us so that both British and European businesses are in the best position to succeed in these extremely challenging conditions and so shield consumers from the worst effects.”
Former British Ambassador to the US, Lord Kim Darroch said,
“Under the current administration at least, the US has shown little interest in doing favours for anyone, friend or foe.
“The global order which has been in place for almost 80 years is changing by the hour and it makes sense for the UK to find stability through deeper cooperation with our allies in Europe while maintaining good relations with Washington.”