Trump’s ‘unpredictability’ means UK can no longer rely on US in time of crisis, Starmer warned
Sir Keir Starmer has warned that Donald Trump’s unpredictability means the UK must move away from defense dependence on America and forge stronger relationships with “middle powers” such as Canada.
In a report published on Friday, parliament’s Joint Committee on National Security Strategy (JCNSS) said the government should prepare for a “worst-case scenario” in which Europe can no longer rely on US support in a crisis.
The UK currently relies on US support in many key national security areas, including the maintenance of Trident nuclear missiles, intelligence sharing and major projects such as the F-35 fighter jet and Aukus submarine deal with Australia.
But the JCNSS, made up of senior MPs and Lords, said US President Donald Trump’s recent comments showed “obvious areas of tension” in UK-US relations that could “compromise the credibility of these dependencies”.
Mr Trump’s threat to seize Greenland, a semi-autonomous region of Denmark, has strained relations with NATO allies and led Danish soldiers to prepare to blow up key airport runways amid fears the US could invade the Arctic island.
The US president also repeatedly criticized Sir Keir for his response to his war with Iran, accusing him of “joining wars after we’ve already won” and saying he was “no Winston Churchill”. And Mr Trump went further earlier this month, saying the so-called special relationship between the US and the UK was “not what it used to be” amid a diplomatic crisis over US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
Mr. Trump has also repeatedly criticized the agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, leading to multiple U-turns in his support for the agreement, although he initially supported it.
The JCNSS review of UK national security said Britain should plan to move towards a more European-led NATO and “move away from a bilateral relationship with the US that is overly dependent on the US”.
He recommended that the UK invest in relations with other middle powers such as Canada, Australia and India to avoid being squeezed by great power competition between the US and China.
JCNSS chairman and Labor MP Matt Western issued a stark warning: “The unpredictability of US relations is a growing concern.
“The UK has a long history of deep dependence on the US for security guarantees, and the partnership will outlast prime ministers and presidents.
“But the UK needs a clear plan to move away from some strategic trust areas to ensure it can pursue its national interests.”
The new warning follows a report earlier this year by former senior NATO adviser Chris Donnelly and MPs Bernard Jenkin and Derek Twigg arguing that Britain must prepare for war and face the fact that it can no longer rely on the US.
“We must prepare for the worst, that is, the fact that the United States may no longer be a reliable ally and may become a separate actor with a narrow understanding of its own national interests,” the report by think tank Civitas said.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called on middle-power countries to come together and warned: “The old order will not return.”
In his widely acclaimed speech, Mr Carney explained: “The middle powers need to get their act together, because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.”
In the national security review published on Friday, MPs and colleagues also called on the government to provide “greater transparency on national security matters” and pressed for the publication of a version of the China audit that sets out Britain’s long-term strategy towards Beijing.
Security threats to the UK, including terrorism and biosecurity threats, are proliferating and intensifying, according to the government’s National Security Strategy. The report said Russia poses the greatest threat to the UK’s security, while China and Iran “present strategic challenges”.
The JCNSS said the lack of public details about the risks posed by China risked undermining public confidence.
He also warned that cutting spending on international development aid had created a vacuum that Russia and China were exploiting, especially in Africa.
