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Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Britons Want Distance Between Brown and Bush
Credit:angus-reid.com
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in Britain have a clear idea of how their new prime minister should deal with the current United States president, according to a poll by YouGov published in the Daily Telegraph. 60 per cent of respondents think Gordon Brown should seek to put some distance between him and George W. Bush.
On Jun. 27, Brown officially took over as prime minister from Tony Blair. Brown—who had worked as chancellor of the exchequer—became Labour's leader on Jun. 24. Blair served as Britain's prime minister since May 1997, winning majority mandates in the 1997, 2001 and 2005 elections to the House of Commons.
Britain committed troops to both the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and the U.S.-led coalition effort in Iraq. In his address to the U.S. Congress in September 2001, Bush declared, "America has no truer friend than Great Britain."
Earlier this month, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (UN) John Bolton discussed his views on Iran's nuclear program, saying, "What will it take to convince Europe the policy has failed? If we wait until they get a bomb it will be too late." 62 per cent of respondents believe Britain should stay out of the argument in the event of a U.S. attack against Iran.
Polling Data
Gordon Brown will visit Washington next week. He has stressed that the special relationship with America will be as strong as under Tony Blair, the former prime minister. Which of the following best describes your view?
Gordon Brown is right to try and be as close | 24% |
Gordon Brown should seek to put some | 60% |
Don't know | 17% |
If America were to attack Iran to stop it getting nuclear weapons, what should Britain do?
Support the attack | 13% |
Criticize the attack | 17% |
Stay out of the argument, and | 62% |
Don't know | 8% |
Source: YouGov / Daily Telegraph
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,664 British adults, conducted on Jul. 19 to Jul. 20, 2007. No margin of error was provided.