5. Restore and scale targeted international science funds.

The report is the culmination of a series of events and roundtables with stakeholders across science and foreign and designed as the first step in a wider conversation about the role of science in foreign policy.

4. Expand the UK’s scientific and academic mobility schemes, including youth exchanges, fellowships, and talent and visa pathways.

3. Embed scientific expertise in key FCDO planning and infrastructure, including wider diplomatic training and strategy development.

2. Leverage the expertise of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and external scientific experts, to develop a thematic focus on science in the Government’s upcoming Soft Power Strategy.

It recommends that the UK:

1. Develop a cohesive national narrative that champions science as essential to the UK’s resilience, prosperity, and global leadership, ensuring this is amplified through coordinated messaging across government, media, science and cultural institutions

We'll be joined by

@evieaspinall.bsky.social (Director, the British Foreign Policy Group)

@patporter76.bsky.social (Chair of International Security & Strategy, Birmingham)

@elkeschwarz.bsky.social (Professor of Political Theory, QMUL)

@drjamesstrong.bsky.social (Reader in British Politics, QMUL)

5. This gives Starmer scope over the coming months in his meetings with Trump to continue to work together, even despite public distrust of Trump/the US, to leverage Trump's affinity for the UK for the good of the UK and the world.

4. Nevertheless, while Brits are eager to shift from over-reliance on the US, only 28% of Britons believe the UK should move further away from the US, with Britons recognising the need for cautious engagement with the US too.

3. This is largely driven by concern about Trump - more than half of Britons believe his actions are harming the UK economy (53%), and 49% believe he is damaging UK-US relations.

2. More Brits now distrust (41%) than trust (38%) the US to act responsibly in the world. With trust falling 15 percentage points over the last year alone.

1. The US' position as the UK's closest ally is increasingly challenged - only 31% of Brits see the US as the UK's closest ally, down from 54% last year.

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...

10. Only 18% of Britons support spending 0.7% of GNI or more on international development. However, more Britons believe the UK’s aid spend target should be higher than 0.3% of GNI (38%) than believe it should be lower (34%), suggesting some room to increase spending about 0.3%.

9. Britons are widely convinced of the benefits of free trade which they believe positively impacts the UK as a whole (71%), them and their families (51%) and their local area (47%). The UK-US (57%) and the UK-India trade deals (53%) are also supported by the majority of Britons.