Britain ‘will need to court EU’ if Trump wins election
Donald Trump winning the US presidential election would intensify the need for the UK to seek a closer relationship with the EU, senior Conservatives pushing for a softening of the Brexit deal have said.
Sir David Lidington, formerly Theresa May’s de facto deputy prime minister, said the presidential candidate was adopting an increasingly “aggressive” approach to his “America first” policy that will increase pressure on the UK to boost ties with other close allies.
Sir David and Tory MP Stephen Hammond’s Conservative European Forum (CEF) called for measures including supporting the movement of workers into the EU, aligning with Brussels in some foreign and defence policy and striking a deal to ease burdens on musicians and other artists touring Europe.
Their report backed Labour’s calls to seek to improve the hard Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement signed by Boris Johnson when it is up for review in 2025-26.
It is based on interviews with more than 40 companies, business leaders and experts – including the CBI, the National Farmers Union, British Chambers of Commerce and the Institute of Directors – on how to boost growth and trade.
It represents a resurgence in a debate in the Tory Party that had largely been won by Leavers since 2019.
Sir David said that Rishi Sunak’s Windsor Framework deal on Northern Ireland restored trust with European partners and showed
the Tories were now in a “calmer place” on Brexit and more willing to “take a hard-headed approach and could be willing to sacrifice some notional sovereignty in return for things that were in our national economic interest”.
In addition, the invasion of Ukraine “shook people in London and throughout Europe” into realising cooperation is more important than the minutiae of trade arrangements, and Brexit hardliners on both sides were no longer the main political players, Sir David said, adding: “The people who were at the fore in the very painful and at times acrimonious negotiations have moved on… it’s that sense of a different cast of people taking a fresh look.”
Sir David warned the Tories against opposing Starmer’s push for closer EU ties if, as expected, Labour wins the next election, stressing that opinion polls suggest the public regards Brexit as harmful.