Our Director Brendan Donnelly and Chair John Stevens discuss the prospects and pitfalls for a defence pact between the UK and EU. They argue that if Donald Trump is the next President of the United States, the conclusion of such a pact will be much more difficult. Under a Trump Presidency the UK will be faced with a series of difficult choices between Europe and the USA, not only in the defence field, but in trade and geopolitics as well.
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SPEAKERS
Brendan Donnelly is the Director of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.
John Stevens is the Chair of the Federal Trust and an analyst and commentator on economic affairs.
A most interesting debate. Is the choice really so binary ? Since Macmillan we have tried to keep some freedom of movement between the European and American axes and while I agree the room for such manoeuvering may be dwindling, especially in the wake of Brexit, won’t politicians continue to try to “ride” both horses ? Labour will surely try to improve trade with the EU while not undermining the long intimacy of UK-US defence relations which for better or for worse are here to stay for the foreseable future whoever is in the White House.