Labour voters value closer EU ties instead of with US
The Independent|January 20, 2025
Sir Keir Starmer has been warned not to "cosy up to the White House" as a new poll shows nearly two in three Labour voters believe he should build closer economic and security ties to Europe as Donald Trump returns to power.
KATE DEVLIN
Labour voters value closer EU ties instead of with US

The same proportion of Labour voters, 67 per cent, say they are “worried” about the impact of Mr Trump’s presidency. The findings will pile pressure on Sir Keir to accelerate talks to improve UK-EU relations as the world braces for Mr Trump’s second term.

The Savanta poll, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, also found nearly half of voters, 47 per cent, are concerned that Nigel Farage’s close ties with Mr Trump risk undermining the UK’s national interests. That figure was even higher among Labour voters, at 61 per cent.

The prime minister has promised to fix Britain’s damaged relationship with the European Union for the benefit of “generations to come”. But he has faced criticism for the slow pace of talks, and for rejecting a Brussels-backed youth mobility scheme to allow the under-30s to live and work in the EU.

This story is from the January 20, 2025 edition of The Independent.

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This story is from the January 20, 2025 edition of The Independent.

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