Delighted to publish @thebfpg’s 2021 public opinion report – the most comprehensive survey undertaken on UK views on foreign policy. It's also a study that reveals so much about the UK’s social fabric & political landscape.

Some highlights... (thread)

1. International identities such as global citizenship, patriotism, being ‘European’ are fiercely contested & closely correlated with domestic political identities. They also cleave onto 'national' identities like self-identifying as English or British.

2. Trust in the UK Government to make foreign policy decisions in line with citizens’ interests has fallen in the past year, as the ups and downs of the pandemic inject much dynamism into public opinion.

3. The raft of new voters secured by the Conservative Party since the Referendum are shifting its centre of gravity towards favouring a more isolationist, security-conscious foreign policy - not always aligned with the approach the Government is pursuing with Global Britain.

4. While more internationalist overall, Labour’s coalition remains extremely divided on foreign policy issues, and its voters are anxious about the impacts of trade – largely seen as a component of the Global Britain project, which they do not feel they have a stake in.