New Polls Reveal JD Vance Less Popular Among Brits than Donald Trump | Politics News

JD Vance has a lower approval rating among the UK public compared to Donald Trump, Sir Keir Starmer, and other prominent UK politicians, according to a new poll released by Sky News.

Only 14% of Britons view the US vice president favorably, while Mr. Trump garners 21% and both the prime minister and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage have a favorable opinion of 29%.

Ipsos conducted a survey of 1,132 adults aged 18 and older across Great Britain online between March 14 and March 17, shortly after the contentious meeting involving Mr. Vance, Mr. Trump, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House regarding military aid to Ukraine.

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The poll took place prior to a discussion on the messaging platform Signal—featuring US officials, including the vice president—that was inadvertently leaked to an American journalist who was mistakenly added to the encrypted chat.

During this conversation, Mr. Vance along with other officials, including National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, talked about plans for airstrikes against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, which were executed on March 15.

Mr. Vance questioned the justifications for the military operation, claiming that targeting the Houthis primarily served European interests since the continent relies on the US for the protection of shipping lanes in the Red Sea, which are frequently threatened by attacks.

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In a message to Mr. Hegseth, Mr. Vance stated, “If you believe we should proceed, let’s go. I despise having to bail out Europe once again.”

Mr. Hegseth, who advocated for military action against the Houthis, responded, “I completely share your disdain for European freeloading. PATHETIC.”

Keiran Pedley, Ipsos’ director of politics, remarked to Sky News: “These numbers clearly indicate that Vance is not favored by the British public.”

“A significant majority have an unfavorable view of the vice president, including substantial majorities among Conservative, Labour, and Liberal Democrat supporters. Reform UK followers are more divided, with slightly more disapproving than approving.”

The disclosure of the messages to Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, has sparked worries regarding US national security and the attitudes of Trump’s administration towards Europe as it seeks to negotiate a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine to conclude the war.

President Trump has downplayed the importance of the accidental leak of US military intelligence to Mr. Goldberg, telling Garrett Haake, a reporter from Sky News’ US partner network NBC, that the journalist was “a sleazeball” and that his presence in the Signal chat had “no impact at all.”

When asked how Mr. Goldberg got added to the chat, Mr. Trump stated that it was one of Mr. Waltz’s staff members who mistakenly included his number.

Upon being asked if he still trusted Waltz, Trump replied affirmatively, asserting: “Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s an admirable person.”

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The US president also expressed confidence in his team and supported comments from his defence secretary that the incident was a non-issue, noting that it was “the only glitch in two months, and it turned out to be not serious at all.”

Downing Street has asserted confidence that any UK intelligence shared with the US is being managed appropriately.

The prime minister’s official spokesman stated: “The US remains our closest ally in defense matters, and we have a long-standing partnership in intelligence and defence cooperation.

“We will continue to strengthen the robust relationship we have with the US on defense and security issues.”