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A poll has shown Britons’ fury at Donald Trump’s second state visit invitation, with almost half saying it should be cancelled after his White House clash with Volodymyr Zelensky.
Some 42 per cent of voters said the historic second invitation to Mr Trump should be withdrawn amid growing outrage at the US administration’s increasingly critical stance on Ukraine.
Sir Keir Starmer has faced pressure from across the political spectrum to withdraw the invitation, which he hand-delivered to Mr Trump just a day before his Oval Office shouting match with Mr Zelensky. That is only likely to increase since Mr Trump’s decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine.
While two in five people said the invitation should be withdrawn, an overall majority (51 per cent) said it should not have been extended in the first place.
It comes as a petition by pro-democracy campaign group 38 Degrees calling for the visit to be axed passed 180,000 signatures.
Mr Trump would become the first US president honoured with two state visits, with Sir Keir mounting a major charm offensive as she seeks to protect Britain from a global trade war.
But 38 Degrees warned that, because of the British public’s overwhelming support for Ukraine, the PM risks alienating voters by cosying up to the US president.
Chief executive of 38 Degrees Matthew McGregor said: “Since the Russian invasion three years ago, the British people have consistently shown an outpouring of support for the people of Ukraine. They have been clear that the UK must stand up for Ukraine, and that voters will back the PM if he does.
“But standing up for Ukraine means unequivocally standing up to Donald Trump right now. With the majority of Brits feeling he is undeserving of a second state visit … Keir Starmer should think long and hard about whether this state visit really should go ahead.”
The survey, conducted by Survation for 38 Degrees, also revealed Sir Keir’s backing for Mr Zelensky after his White House clash with Mr Trump made the public feel “proud to be British”.
The prime minister standing up for Ukraine on the world stage won him the support of 46 per cent of the public, who said it made them feel proud, while just 12 per cent said it did not.
And it contained a stark warning for Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who was accused of “acting as Donald Trump’s spokesman in Britain” for defending the US president after the row.
It revealed President Zelensky as the most popular world leader out of a group also including Sir Keir, French president Emmanuel Macron, Mr Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Mr Zelensky had a 54 per cent approval rating, while Mr Trump was on 24 per cent and Mr Putin was on 11 per cent.
Mr Farage blamed the Ukrainian president for having played the White House meeting “very badly”, and accused him of “bowling in” without a suit on and “showing no respect” for his American counterpart.
Mr McGregor said: “After Nigel Farage’s comments earlier this week, this poll shows him well and truly out of step with public opinion, from his sympathetic comments towards Putin to his sneering at Zelensky’s sartorial style.”
