More than half of the UK sees US as a negative force because of the Iran war, poll finds

Public opinion in the UK has turned dramatically against the United States in the wake of president Donald Trump's war in Iran, a new poll has revealed.

The slump in popularity of a country that is meant to be the other half of Britain's special relationship also came after the US intervention in Venezuela.

Consultancy company Public First found that 53% of Britons questioned said they regarded the US as a "negative force in the world" - a jump of 19 percentage points since before American forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January.

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By contrast, just 29% of respondents viewed Washington as a positive force - a drop of 12 percentage points compared with last December.

The figures were gathered for the two-day London Defence Conference, which opens on Friday.

Conference director Iain Martin said: "The British public has dramatically shifted in attitudes towards the US after the war in Iran".

"That represents a profound challenge to the transatlantic alliance with potentially serious implications for the special relationship.

"These poll numbers emphasise the need to strengthen British and allied defences in the face of growing threats and global instability."

The survey, which quizzed just over 2,000 adults in the UK, found that an overwhelming majority - 85% - believed that the world was becoming more dangerous, with 60% saying it felt the most unstable in their lifetime.

Mr Trump's foreign policy was widely seen as escalating risk, with 64% of respondents saying that his approach makes a global conflict more likely.

On the war in Iran, just 26% were in favour of the US and Israeli military action, while 41% were against.

Roughly half (49%) of the public thought Sir Keir Starmer's involvement in the crisis was broadly correct, with 48% saying he should refuse to offer help if asked directly by Washington.

However, that ratio would change if Iran were to hit British military targets in the region.

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Should that happen, 59% of those asked said they would support UK involvement.

As for unblocking the Strait of Hormuz to tanker traffic, if the UK had the best chance of reopening oil trade in the region, some 47% of Britons said the military should be deployed compared with 31% who preferred that it stays away.

With wariness about the United States growing, the poll found a growth in support for greater European cooperation. This included 38% of people saying they would prioritise strengthening ties with European countries, compared with just 19% favouring the US.

Sky News is the official media partner of the London Defence Conference 2026. Later this year Sky News will launch a new defence & security app, bringing together video-first reporting from our leading journalists and experts.

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