UK is warned over fight to woo the US

POLITICS: The UK will have to “fight its way to the table” as US President Elect Joe Biden seeks to rebuild US relations around the world, a study has warned.

With MPs set to debate foreign policy in the Commons this afternoon, a research paper set out how the Government can woo incoming administration figures in Washington.

THE UK will have to “fight its way to the table” as US- President Elect Joe Biden seeks to rebuild American relations around the world, a study has warned.

With MPs set to debate Britain’s future foreign policy in the Commons this afternoon, a new research paper by Robin Niblett, director of the think- tank Chatham House, set out how a “global Britain” can strike a new path post- Brexit and how the Government can woo incoming administration figures in Washington.

The paper, called “Global Britain,

global broker: A blueprint for the UK’s future international role”, states: “The incoming administration of Joe Biden will seek to heal America’s relations with allies in Europe and Asia.

“But Brexit Britain will have to fight its way to the table on many of the most important transAtlantic issues, with the EU now the US’s main counterpart in areas such as China relations and digital taxation.”

The report suggests three areas ripe for Britain to tackle as a global broker in 2021, given the imminent arrival of the Biden administration.

It says: “First, the UK can leverage its world- leading commitments to carbon emissions reduction alongside its co- chairmanship of Cop26 to secure stronger national commitments on climate change from the US and China, the world’s two largest emitters.

“Second, the UK can leverage its strong position in Nato alongside a more trans- Atlanticist Biden administration to broker closer working relations between Nato and the EU, especially on cybersecurity and protecting space assets, critical new priorities for the safety of European democracies.

“Third, the UK can use its presidency of the G7 in 2021 to start making this anachronistic grouping more inclusive.”

The report continues:

“But rather than enlarging it to a catchy but arbitrary ‘ D10’ or ‘ Democratic Ten’, Britain could reach out to other midsized G20 democracies such as Australia, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea as and when they are willing to commit to joint action towards shared objectives.

“It could also link up its G7 programme with the Summit for Democracy, which Joe Biden has committed to host in 2021 to tackle the serious challenges now facing democracies at home.

“Britain could help define this agenda by convening meetings between officials, NGOs and US technology giants and brokering practical ideas to combat disinformation.”

The study says Britain’s government will be “better networked institutionally than almost any other country’s” despite Brexit, adding the “soft power inherent in its language, universities, media and civil society can enhance the influence of British ideas”.

But it adds: “Assets do not automatically equate with influence. There needs to be a vision for Britain’s international role, and the political will, resources and popular support to put this vision into action.”

Meanwhile, the decision by some social media giants to ban US President Donald Trump from their platforms raises a “very big question” in terms of regulation, Matt Hancock has said.

Twitter, Facebook and Instagram blocked the president’s accounts from their sites in the aftermath of the storming of the US Capitol by his supporters last Wednesday. Speaking to Sky News, the Health Secretary said it “raises a very important question” about social media companies “taking editorial decisions”.

Assets do not automatically equate with influence. Robin Niblett, director of the think- tank Chatham House.