Majority of Britons would rather have the EU as a close trading partner than US

Basit Mahmood 

Yesterday
Left Foot Forward


With a protectionist President in the White House, it seems the British public would rather prefer closer trading ties with the EU.

A majority of Britons would rather have a closer trading relationship with the EU than the US, a new poll has found.

The poll, carried out by YouGov, found that 57% of Britons would rather have a closer trading relationship with the EU, compared to 16% who would rather have the US as a closer trading partner.

It comes after President Trump caused turmoil on global markets through the imposition of tariffs, leading to sell-offs sparking trillions in losses across the world.

After a major backlash from the markets, Trump carried out a U-turn, announcing a 90-day pause for countries hit by higher US tariffs, however he said he was authorising a universal “lowered reciprocal tariff of 10%” as negotiations continued. Despite his policy reversal, the trade war with China continued too. Trump increased tariffs on goods from China to 125%, accusing Beijing of a “lack of respect” after it retaliated by saying it would impose tariffs of 84% on US imports.

With a protectionist President in the White House, it seems the British public would rather prefer closer trading ties with the EU.

Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward