British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is navigating a delicate balance as he seeks strong ties with both the European Union and US President Donald Trump. On Monday, Starmer became the first British prime minister to attend an EU leaders’ meeting since the UK left the bloc in 2016.
Starmer’s goal is to rebuild relations with the EU while avoiding tariffs imposed by Trump on several countries. Trump has slapped import taxes on Canada, Mexico, and China, and has threatened to impose similar measures on goods from the 27-nation EU. However, his attitude toward Britain is more ambiguous.
Despite this, Starmer has stressed his desire for a good relationship with Trump. His spokesman stated that Britain has a “fair and balanced trading relationship” with the US. At the Brussels meeting, Starmer said that the UK will not choose between Europe and the US, but instead work with both parties to achieve its vital interests.
Starmer aims to remove trade barriers imposed by Brexit but has ruled out rejoining the EU’s customs union or single market. Instead, he seeks relatively modest changes, such as easing restrictions on artists and professionals. The Labour Party government is cautious of riling populist politicians like Nigel Farage.
EU politicians welcome the change in tone from Starmer’s predecessors, but want concrete proposals and compromises from the UK. Ahead of the meeting, Starmer will stress the importance of maintaining pressure with sanctions on Russia to squeeze its “war machine” targeting Ukraine. The US has also raised concerns about NATO countries’ defense spending, with Trump aiming for a 5% GDP target.
Starmer’s government says it will increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP, while Trump has called for more.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/uk-starmer-eu-brussels-trump-trade-brexit-e7a6a43ae1a074f9cef3808d72b4a647