American Presidential attacks on the UK, rising voices in Britain declaring the US/UK Special Relationship dead and political turmoil as the government tries to hold it all together. To put this in a bartender’s terms, Britain and America now have a ‘relationship on the rocks’.
But can this be reconciled? Can the bizarre war of words and economics between the UK and the US end? Or is Donald Trump’s approach to the Office of the President of the United States of America so unhinged that there is no hope left?
Trump’s approach
Since returning to the White House after his inauguration last year, Donald Trump has done much to destabilise his relationships with his allies. He and his vice-president JD Vance berated and humiliated Ukrainian president Volodymir Zelensky and is trying to push him to a peace deal with Russia where he gives up Ukrainian land to the aggressor nation. He has also threatened the UK economically, most notably though punishing tariffs against his supposed ally, and insulted serving armed forces personnel and veterans by falsely diminishing their role played in Afghanistan, alongside military personnel and veterans of other NATO countries.
But if that wasn’t enough, he has, as well, been pressuring Denmark and other European nations with an ambition to annex Greenland, saying that the US would “remember” if the European Union refused to allow this to happen, showing a deep lack of respect for the autonomous region in the process by declaring “all I am asking for is a piece of ice”.
His approach to the UK and Europe has prompted furious backlash across the UK with Green Party leader Zack Polanski declaring the Special Relationship between the UK and the USA “dead” and Sir Nick Harvey, former Armed Forces Minister and Liberal Democrat MP for North Devon, saying “the United Kingdom can no longer rely on the United States to act consistently as a good-faith partner in defence and foreign policy”.
A rocky relationship
Nick Harvey, the CEO of European Movement UK, the campaign to help the UK rebuild its relationship with the EU, rejected Polanski’s claims of the Special Relationship being dead but did acknowledge a “bumpy patch”. The former MP said “I don’t think it’s very well at the moment I think it’s actually quite risky to pronounce it dead”. He went on to say that while it was important not to “capitulate” to Donald Trump, it would be a mistake to “close the door on the US and shut them out”.
Understanding where the Green Party leader was coming from with his statement, he said it was a “risky line to take”, citing that pronouncing the Special Relationship dead could get Trump’s administration “off the hook” and make it “far easier not to do anything supportive of Europe in the future”.
When asked about Keir Starmer’s approach to the Special Relationship, Sir Nick said that the Prime Minister was “playing it rather sensibly”, citing Britain and Europe’s need in the meantime for support from the USA in terms of military with the war in Ukraine and Russian aggression.
Britain’s future with Europe
Insisting that the relationship with the United States and NATO will remain “an important part of the equation”, Sir Nick pointed to the European Union as where Britain’s future lies. He said that “geography is the overpowering force and there’s been a real wake-up call for everyone in Europe that our neighbours are our natural allies, we all share values, we all want to live in democracies governed by the rule of law, we all want to be responsible global citizens and help tackle climate change, we to deal with issues of international migration together, we want to build better opportunities for the next generation”.
He praised the Prime Minister for the EU reset deal and also for making it clear that European unity in the wake of Trump’s approach and Putin’s aggression includes the UK and that European security is also British security. “All of this is common shared value across the whole of Europe and the reality is the UK made a terrible mistake in taking itself out of the EU but that doesn’t need to be the end of the story.”
Calling for further integration with Europe, Sir Nick cited the economic damage caused by Brexit and the impact on the cost of living and said that Britain should more closely align with Europe “if we want a more prosperous future, with more opportunities and faster economic growth”.
With tensions high and the Special Relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States of America going through a rough patch, a closer relationship with Europe and the European Union is vital. But could turning on America and shutting them out completely go wrong for Britain? Perhaps the only way to avoid long-term negative consequences is to try and maintain good, diplomatic relations on all sides from Europe to America.
