Britons have changed their minds on Donald Trump and now support his state visit to the UK

Britons are starting to warm to the idea of a state visit to the UK by Donald Trump, a poll has revealed.

According to a survey by YouGov, 45% of people in the UK think a state visit by the US president should go ahead, compared to 39% who say it should be cancelled.

This signals a marked increase over the past two months – at the beginning of December, just 31% wanted to see Mr Trump on UK shores, while 55% were against a state visit.

Last month, Mr Trump revealed he has been invited to the UK by prime minister Theresa May for both an official state visit and a working trip later this year.

“Despite the president remaining deeply unpopular in Britain, many people take a pragmatic view about the government working with him,” said YouGov.

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“It would seem that many Brits take a pragmatic view of Donald Trump. When forming an opinion of whether to invite the president, many weigh up the approach they think it is best for the government to take, and not just considering their own personal views towards him.”

Although Mr Trump claimed in a recent interview with Piers Morgan that he is “very popular” in the UK, the poll paints a different picture.

Only 11% of those surveyed think he has been a “good” or “great” president, a decrease from 16% last year.

Two out of three Britons (67%) say he has been “poor” or “terrible” as president. Another 14% believe he has been “average”.

YouGov said: “In fact, at least half of every age group, social grade, region, and political affiliation that we measured think Trump has performed poorly or terribly as president.”

The poll identified one in three Britons as “Trump pragmatists”, those who have not been impressed with him but believe the UK still needs to work alongside the White House.

However, a slightly greater percentage (36%) are “Trump rejecters”, who say Britain should distance itself from him.

Just 11% have been dubbed “Trump fans”.

While 82% of “Trump rejecters” are opposed to a state visit, 75% of “Trump pragmatists” and 97% of “Trump fans” think he should come to the UK.