Securing US trade deal top priority for British voters
Securing a trade deal with the US is the top priority for British voters across the political divide, a new poll published today will show.
Some 63 per cent of Britons say the US should be first on the list of trade negotiations for the government, the survey of more than 3,000 people by FTI Consulting reveals.
China, the world’s second largest economy, comes next for voters, cited by half of British voters, while Commonwealth countries Australia, Canada and New Zealand round out the top five.
While prospective voters in both the Conservatives and Labour share very similar priorities on the trade front, the polling reveals significant differences on other matters.
Tory voters are far more likely to favour protection of British companies from overseas acquisition, with 45 per cent saying protections are a priority, compared to 35 per cent of Labour voters.
Conservatives are also more likely to back the imposition of tariffs on imports from competitor nations, at 29 per cent versus 25 per cent for Labour, with a similar pattern revealed for imposing quotas.
The findings underline the difficulties facing Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative government, as she tries to balance the desire of many MPs for free trade, with low tariffs and non-tariff barriers, with an electoral base which would be more comfortable with protections for British industry against foreign competition.
Dan Healy, head of research at FTI Consulting, said the findings were “quite surprising”, given that Conservative voters tend to be more pro-business than average.
The message to the government appears to be to “get these trade deals but put some safeguards in place”, Healy said.
Boosting the performance of the British economy should be the top priority for the Prime Minister according to voters, with 57 per cent citing it as number one.
That came in far above a desire to restrict immigration, which was desired by only 35 per cent of Britons – although 52 per cent of Conservative voters said it is a priority, giving another headache to May.