British Foreign Policy Group

Britain’s Hard-Nosed Turn in Foreign Policy: Calculated or Cautious? - British Foreign Policy Group Eliza Keogh explores shifting public attitudes, as Britons value pragmatism in foreign policy, backing trade and aid that deliver economic and security returns over values.

NEW: Our latest piece explores shifting public attitudes, as more Britons desire pragmatism in foreign policy, backing trade and aid that deliver economic and security returns over values. bfpg.co.uk/2025/10/brit...

BFPG’s September 2025 Review - British Foreign Policy Group A review of BFPG's activities and responses to the major global events of September 2025.

Take a look at what BFPG got up to in September. bfpg.co.uk/2025/10/bfpg...

Trump, fascinated by the royals, gets a rare second U.K. state visit Trump has long expressed fascination with the royal family. The U.K. government will tap into that this week during a state visit that combines pageantry and politics.

Ahead of US President Trump's state visit, BFPG Director Evie Aspinall spoke to NPR about the President's long-standing affinity for the British royal family and the potential for the UK to leverage this relationship to its advantage. www.npr.org/2025/09/15/n...

What does it mean for the UK and Nato after Poland 'shoots down Russian drones'? Poland's president has invoked Nato's Article 4 in response.

BFPG Director Evie Aspinall spoke to Metro about the likely fallout and repercussions from Russian drones being shot down in Polish airspace.
metro.co.uk/2025/09/10/m...

NEW: Senior Advisor David Landsman argues that the UK’s recent defence reviews set out sweeping ambitions, but without a clear national interest, sufficient resources or public support, they remain ungrounded. This analysis calls for a realist reset for UK defence. bfpg.co.uk/2025/09/givi...

The Defence Spending Dilemma: Building Public Support in an Age of Domestic Challenge - Progressive Britain Director of the British Foreign Policy Group Evie Aspinall details how the challenge facing the Government of justifying high defence spending in a time of tight fiscal rules.

In a piece for Progressive Britain, BFPG Director Evie Aspinall considers how, in a time of cost-of-living crises and tight fiscal rules, the government can build public support for high defence spending. www.progressivebritain.org/the-defence-...

Job Opportunity: Senior Researcher - British Foreign Policy Group Come and work at BFPG. We are looking for a a dynamic Senior Researcher to play a key role in delivering our programme of research, events, and engagement.

BFPG is delighted to be recruiting for a Senior Researcher. This is a rare opportunity to join a leading foreign policy think tank at a critical geopolitical moment.
🗓️ Deadline: 11:59pm, 4th Sept
bfpg.co.uk/2025/08/job-...

BFPG's Summer 2025 Review - British Foreign Policy Group A review of BFPG's activities over July and August of 2025.

Take a look at what BFPG has been up to this Summer bfpg.co.uk/2025/08/summ...

Job Opportunity: Senior Researcher - British Foreign Policy Group Come and work at BFPG. We are looking for a a dynamic Senior Researcher to play a key role in delivering our programme of research, events, and engagement.

We’re hiring! BFPG is recruiting for a Senior Researcher to join our team. If you’re passionate about UK foreign policy, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply by 11:59pm on Thursday 4 September 2025.

Full details: bfpg.co.uk/2025/08/job-...

China is busy making friends — and it’s partly thanks to Trump While the US has cut aid and withdrawn from multilateral organisations, Beijing is capitalising on its Belt and Road Initiative and winning over global opinion

Great to see BFPG's 2025 Annual Survey polling data highlighted in The Times. The piece references the sharp decline in Britons' trust in the US over the past year, as Britons increasingly turn towards Europe.

Read the full article: www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

A Pragmatic But Uncomfortable Special Relationship - British Foreign Policy Group Ahead of President Trump's first visit to the UK of his second term, BFPG Director Evie Aspinall examines the stark evolution of UK‑US relations, as seen by the public.

NEW: As President Trump and Kier Starmer prepare to meet later today, Evie Aspinall reflects on a UK-US relationship that remains vital but is increasingly defined by pragmatism rather than sentiment. bfpg.co.uk/2025/07/a-pr...

Brits’ trust in the US has plummeted over the past year, poll shows Only 38 percent of Britons trusted America to act responsibly in the world, a 15 point drop from 2024.

My latest @politico.eu piece delves into the @bfpg.bsky.social's annual survey on global affairs — the findings are striking: growing distrust towards the US, fears about Donald Trump's actions and greater trust towards the EU.

www.politico.eu/article/brit...

Hand holding executive summary of report

Page of report with statistics

It was great to attend @bfpg.bsky.social’s 2025 Annual Survey on UK public opinion on foreign policy yesterday. Britons trust the EU to act responsibly in the world (60%), believe the UK should strengthen trade relations with the EU (51%), view the EU as the UK’s closest ally (29%). Excellent news

Brits’ trust in the US has plummeted over the past year, poll shows Only 38 percent of Britons trusted America to act responsibly in the world, a 15 point drop from 2024.

BFPG's 2025 Annual Survey features in
POLITICO Europe. The piece highlights the striking drop in UK public trust in the US, as Brits look to move closer to Europe. Read it here: www.politico.eu/article/brit...

2025 Annual Survey of UK Public Opinion on Foreign Policy - British Foreign Policy Group BFPG's 2025 Annual Survey of Public Opinion on Foreign Policy finds that public trust in the US has plummeted, as Britons turn back towards Europe.

The full report is full of findings on everything from free trade to international development, China and trust in Government. Read the full report: bfpg.co.uk/2025/07/2025... (5/6)

Major generational divides have emerged along a range of foreign policy themes.
🔹e.g. 46% of over-66s say Ukraine should be a top priority, vs 17% of 18-25s
🔹e.g. 61% of 18-25-year-olds support Chinese technology companies operating in the UK, vs just 12% of over-66s. (5/6)

Public support for defence spending is superficial.
✅ 71% support increase to 3% GDP now or in the next few years.
❌ However, Britons would oppose increasing defence spend if it required reducing spend on the NHS (60%), education (47%), or welfare (46%) (4/6)

Instead Brits are turning to Europe:
🔹62% want to move closer to the EU
🔹Support for cooperation is deep: 83% support agreements to strengthen defence cooperation, 79% support reduced trade barriers on food & drink + 78% support ePassport gate access for Brits in Europe (3/6)

🔻Trust in the US plummets, from 53% last year to 38% in 2025. More Britons also now distrust the US (41%) than trust it (38%). Strikingly, a potential Trump presidency (33%) is more widely seen as a top threat to UK security than terrorism (32%) or China (25%). (2/6)

2025 Annual Survey of UK Public Opinion on Foreign Policy - British Foreign Policy Group BFPG's 2025 Annual Survey of Public Opinion on Foreign Policy finds that public trust in the US has plummeted, as Britons turn back towards Europe.

📢 NEW: BFPG’s 2025 Annual Survey on UK public opinion on foreign policy finds Britons’ support for the special relationship is collapsing as Britons instead turn towards Europe. Read the full report here: bfpg.co.uk/2025/07/2025... (1/6)

YouTube video by British Foreign Policy Group Why The Western Balkans Still Matter: A Conversation with Dame Karen Pierce -

As the UK prepares to host the Berlin Process Summit in Autumn, aiming to promote regional cooperation, security & growth, BFPG hosted Dame Karen Pierce, UK Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, to explore the region’s enduring significance in the world. Catch up: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSQE...

From Diplomat to Content Creator: How Ambassadors’ Roles have Changed Since 2017 - British Foreign Policy Group BFPG Associate Fellow Michael Martins explores how the role of Ambassadors has changed in today's diplomatic environment.

NEW: BFPG Associate Fellow Michael Martins explores how the role of Ambassadors has changed in today's diplomatic environment. bfpg.co.uk/2025/06/from...

Today BFPG was privileged to host Ambassador Yao, Representative of the Taipei Representative Office, for a roundtable reflecting on today’s current geopolitical environment & the future of UK-Taiwan relations. We thank all who attended & the Ambassador for his time.

Australia warned it could 'never replicate' at risk AUKUS deal A foreign policy expert has warned Australia and the United Kingdom could "never replicate" AUKUS without support from the United States ahead of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's crucial meeting with President Donald Trump.

BFPG spoke to Sky News Australia about the future of AUKUS, as the US announced its review of the partnership, exploring what the broader geopolitical implications might be for the UK and its allies if the US withdraws. www.skynews.com.au/australia-ne...

The UK’s New Defence Posture is Bold - but Washington will want Proof, not Promises - British Foreign Policy Group Assosciate Fellow Michael Martins explores how the Strategic Defence Review will be viewed in Washington.

NEW: In the second blog in his series on UK-US relations, BFPG Associate Fellow Michael Martins explores how the UK's new Strategic Defence Review will be received in Washington and what it means for the 'special relationship'. bfpg.co.uk/2025/06/stra...

A New World Order? With Trump’s second presidency, are we returning to an era of Great Powers and ‘might means right’? What are the implications for the so-called ‘global rules-based order’? Join in the discussion with ...

On Sunday BFPG Director @evieaspinall.bsky.social will be speaking at @yorkfestofideas.bsky.social on 'A New World order' and what it means for the global future. Free to attend. yorkfestivalofideas.com/2025/calenda...

The Strategic Defence Review: 10 Key Takeaways - British Foreign Policy Group BFPG summarises the key takeaways from 2025 Strategic Defence Review and what it means for the future of UK defence and security.

NEW: After almost a year of waiting, the Strategic Defence Review is out. Want the highlights? @evieaspinall.bsky.social explores the 10 key takeaways from the Review. bfpg.co.uk/2025/06/10-k...

Rhetorical Distance, Structural Depth: UK–US Ties in the Trump–Starmer Era - British Foreign Policy Group BFPG Associate Fellow Michael Martins explores the future of the UK-EU relationship, as President Trump upends established norms.

As we wait for the new Strategic Defence Review, see BFPG's new blog on the future of the UK-US relationship. This is the first in a series exploring the relationship, with the next coming soon on how the SDR may impact relations + how it'll be received in Washington. bfpg.co.uk/2025/06/rhet...

The DipTel E202: Evie Aspinall — Audley Can Britain's values prevail in the world of Trump 2.0? Join Audley Director Harry Wynne-Williams speaking to Evie Aspinall, Director of The British Foreign Policy Group, about Britain’s Brexit ‘reset...

This week BFPG Director Evie Aspinall was a guest on Audley's DipTel podcast. The episode covers Britain’s Brexit ‘reset’ with the EU and the importance of foreign policy in a world being reset by the second Trump administration. Listen here: audleyadvisors.com/audley-intel...

As co-convenors of the UK Soft Power Group, we are delighted to be launching the Group’s latest report, ‘Strengthening UK Soft Power: Strategic Recommendations’. It explores how to strengthen UK soft power in today's turbulent global environment. Give it a read: bfpg.co.uk/2025/05/stre...