Britons Now Prefer Europe over U.S. as Key Ally, KCL Study Reveals

Photo Courtesy: European Parliament via Flickr

Most Britons favour Europe as a key ally over the U.S., according to research from the Policy Institute at King’s College London.

Some 53% of those polled value our continental neighbour more highly, compared with 31% choosing the U.S.

Moreover, 51% want the U.K. to be more like Switzerland and Sweden, compared to 28% preferring Britain to strive to be a world power. This contrasts with views from 1964, when 51% of public opinion was in favour of Britain as being a leader on the international stage, compared to 32% wanting to be more like Europe. 

The study highlights a key change in public opinion on Britain’s role in international politics and reveals Britain’s lack of interest in becoming a global power, showing a move away from Euroscepticism and “British exceptionalism.” This is due to a “febrile and unpredictable political atmosphere around the re-election of Trump,” according to Professor Bobby Duffy from King’s College London.  Fears of his administration’s plan to increase tariffs and impose a trade deal on Britain exacerbated this scepticism. 

The results demonstrate Britain’s desire to pursue closer ties with Europe post-Brexit, marking a crucial turn-around from Britain’s long history of Euroscepticism which underpinned the Brexit Leave vote in 2016. 

The research illustrates a distancing from British exceptionalism, or the ideology of “British superiority,” which the U.S. heavily influenced and which drove the UK’s imperialist policies until the late 20th century, as well as its isolationist stance on immigration and challenges with multiculturalism. 

Britain can be criticised for perpetuating “British exceptionalism”, which underpinned the Commonwealth, subsequent racist anti-immigration policies and ultimately the Brexit Leave vote. In 2015, 81% of people in Britain wanted fewer immigrants, most of whom voted to leave in the Brexit referendum.