The United Kingdom and other European nations must draw closer together as the United States becomes a less reliable partner, Keir Starmer has said. The former prime minister made the remarks in his first significant political intervention since leaving No 10.
Starmer warned European leaders of the threat posed by Russia, among other challenges, and said the shift in relations with Washington during Donald Trump's presidency is not likely to reset once Mr Trump leaves the Oval Office. He argued that European governments have already been caught out by these new realities twice.
His comments point to a view that the change in transatlantic relations is structural rather than temporary. For Britain, which has sought to balance its close ties with the United States against its geographic and security links to the rest of Europe, the message is that closer cooperation with its European neighbours is now a strategic necessity rather than an option.
The intervention carries particular weight because Starmer led the Labour government until his departure from Downing Street, and his remarks offer an early indication of how he intends to remain engaged in public debate on foreign policy and security. The full text of his remarks, and any specific policy proposals he attached to them, are set out in the original report from The Guardian.
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