Starmer
rejects false choice between Trump’s US and EU in key speech
At lord
mayor’s banquet in London, British PM says ‘national interest demands that we
work with both’ allies
Pippa Crerar
Political editor
Mon 2 Dec
2024 16.00 EST
Keir Starmer
has “utterly rejected” the idea that the UK must choose between the United
States and Europe when Donald Trump comes to power, arguing that it is in the
national interest to work with both.
The prime
minister said the UK would “never turn away” from its relationship with the US,
despite the difficulties the new administration could pose, as it had been the
“cornerstone” of security and prosperity for over a century.
Yet he would
also continue to “reset” Britain’s relationship with Europe, the country’s
biggest trading partner, he said, after years of neglect post-Brexit, as strong
bilateral links were vital for growth and security.
“Against the
backdrop of these dangerous times, the idea that we must choose between our
allies, that somehow we’re with either America or Europe, is plain wrong,” he
said.
“I reject it
utterly. [Clement] Attlee did not choose between allies. [Winston] Churchill
did not choose. The national interest demands that we work with both.”
His remarks
come after foreign policy and trade experts warned that Trump could pressure
the UK to effectively pick sides between it and the European Union if he
presses ahead with threatened trade tariffs when he takes over next year.
But despite
Labour’s previously tense relationship with Trump, Downing Street sources said
they felt equipped to deal with the “unpredictability and noise” that has
already started coming their way from Washington.
Starmer’s
team, they continued, has spent years preparing for the possibility of a
Republican victory – building relationships and, crucially, bridges. However,
as some of Elon Musk’s criticism of the prime minister has shown, the usual
rules of diplomacy no longer apply.
Instead, the
government believes it can capitalise on the global uncertainty that Trump’s
presidency creates, with the new administration likely to reverse the US
position in conflict zones and embark on a more protectionist approach on
trade.
In a major
foreign policy speech at the Lord Mayor’s banquet in London, Starmer insisted
the UK could be a “constant and responsible actor in turbulent times”, with the
return of Trump expected to shake up the global order, including in Ukraine and
the Middle East.
“I recall
Philip Larkin’s words about her late majesty Queen Elizabeth as a ‘constant
good’ – a strong, still point in a changing world – because I think it also
reflects Britain and the nation’s role today,” he said.
“To be a
constant and responsible actor in turbulent times. To be the soundest ally and
to be determined – always – in everything we do.”
In his
speech, the prime minister said he would “never turn away” from the UK’s
special relationship with the US, even though many inside government privately
believe it will prove a difficult path to navigate in coming years.
“This is not
about sentimentality,” he said. “It is about hard-headed realism. Time and
again the best hope for the world and the surest way to serve our mutual
national interest has come from our two nations working together. It still
does.”
Starmer has
also vowed to turn the page on the UK’s relationship with European partners,
putting the fractious relations of the Brexit years behind it. Since taking
office he has visited the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, in Berlin and met the
French president, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris. He also hosted 50 leaders from
across the continent for the European Political Community meeting within days
of taking office.
He told his
audience that the government had already improved relations with Britain’s
European neighbours, with a “shared ambition to work more closely where
necessary”, including through a new security pact covering foreign affairs and
defence.
“This is
about looking forward, not back,” Starmer added. “There will be no return to
freedom of movement, no return to the customs union and no return to the single
market. Instead we will find practical, agile ways to cooperate which serve the
national interest.”
Ministers
are hiring a new EU negotiator to act as a representative for all of the UK’s
dealings with the bloc ahead of renewal talks on the trade and cooperation
agreement, which underpins the post-Brexit relationship, in 2025.
The
government has said that security is the bedrock on which the UK economy rests.
“There is no greater responsibility for this government,” the prime minister
said. He does not, however, plan to set out a timetable to reach 2.5% of GDP on
defence spending until next year.
After
becoming the first British leader in six years to meet Xi Jinping, the Chinese
president, last month, Starmer argued that the UK could not “look the other
way” on China, and instead planned to “keep talking” to Beijing.
Trump is
proposing to slap huge 60% import tariffs on China. Trade experts expect that
the US will call on the EU and UK to follow suit – a demand that both will
strongly resist for their own trade reasons.
The UK is
seeking to increase trade with Beijing while also stepping up efforts to find
greater ways to access the EU single market.
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