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The prime minister is being urged to bolster the UK’s relationship with the European Union following Donald Trump’s re-election, as a senior EU official argues there is a “big opportunity” for closer ties.
Sandro Gozi, the new chair of the European delegation to the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly, told The Independent the bloc is looking to put academic cooperation, a youth free-movement deal and conversations about artificial intelligence on the table.
Mr Gozi’s intervention comes as politicians in the UK say the result of the US election should be a “wake-up call” for Sir Keir Starmer after Mr Trump swept to victory on 5 November.
Mr Gozi said the issue of security and defence in Europe is “even more compelling” since the Republican politician’s re-election, amid growing concerns over the president-elect’s commitment to Nato and fears of a global trade war.
He added: “We know that we have a clear common interest in working together more and better on our security. I hope the election of Mr Trump will boost the cooperation between the UK on the security and military dimension.”
Mr Trump has been vocal in his criticisms of Nato, accusing European members of relying on US funding and warning his administration would only come to the aid of its allies if they contribute financially.
“I don’t see why we have a technology dialogue with the US and with India but we don’t have a dialogue with UK,” Mr Gozi said. “These could be new areas of cooperation in the common interest.”
There have been renewed calls for closer ties with the EU coming from within the UK since the US election, with former Conservative deputy leader Michael Heseltine telling The Independent: “The quicker we restore our position at the heart of Europe the better – from our point of view, from Europe’s point of view and from the world’s point of view.”
While he acknowledged that the US has “done a great deal to preserve the stability of the Western world”, Lord Heseltine – who is also president of the European Movement, a pro-EU campaign group – warned: “We must always remember that there is an element of American politics called ‘America First’, which is having a significant exposure at the moment.”
“America First” was a term coined by president Woodrow Wilson in his 1916 campaign, which pledged to keep America neutral in the First World War.
Referencing the policy, he said: “It is unreasonable for Europe to automatically rely on America, however benign their support has been over the last three-quarters of a century.”
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Calum Miller told The Independent the result of the US election should be a “wake-up call for the UK”.
“It is imperative that we strengthen trade and defence links with our European allies. Now more than ever, it is vital that we repair our broken relationship with the EU,” the MP for Bicester and Woodstock added.
Meanwhile, Wera Hobhouse, the Lib Dem MP for Bath, said she hopes the government will “come clean on its promise to renew meaningful cooperation with the EU”.
Mr Gozi said the desire for closer ties since the election is “not one-sided”, adding that the EU also sees the current situation as a “big opportunity to kick off a new partnership”.
“We also think that there is an interest in strengthening our relationship with the UK,” he said.
Pointing to the EU-UK summit, announced by Sir Keir earlier this year as part of a broader “reset” of relations with the bloc, Mr Gozi said: “It is a meeting that can act as a booster to our relationship.”
There is growing concern about a possible trade war with the US, after the Trump campaign pledged to impose levies of 10 per cent on all goods imported from US trading partners, and up to 60 per cent and 100 per cent for China and Mexico.
Kim Darroch, a former UK ambassador to Washington, said there would be a “stark choice” for Britain between siding with the EU or sacrificing our agriculture.
Writing in The Observer, Mr Darroch said: “On tariffs, I expect the exact opposite of a mere threat.
“I think Trump will impose tariffs on all US imports immediately and say, ‘If you want them lifted, offer me something to rebalance trade.’
“The EU will almost certainly retaliate and the UK will face a difficult decision. Do we match EU retaliatory tariffs? Or do we seek a bilateral deal, like a free trade agreement?”
Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel, however, claimed president-elect Mr Trump is “very sympathetic” to the UK.
Speaking to Sky News’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme, she added: “He has familial ties with this country. My party had a very strong working relationship with him previously.
“I want us to grow that, strengthen that, and demonstrate that the West is not vacating the pitch when it comes to security issues, economic issues, but importantly… the defence of our freedoms.”
The government declined to comment.