Britain warned it must turn to Europe for defence support

BRITAIN should prepare for a fundamental rift with America over military matters after the election of Donald Trump and may need to instead forge closer defence ties with Europe, the deputy head of a respected think tank has said.

The Government may have to rethink decades of defence policy with the US with Mr Trump as president and the UK should no longer count on mili- tary support from across the Atlantic. Prof Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director-general of the Royal United Services Institute, said Mr Trump’s “evident sympathy” for Vladimir Putin and his scepticism for America’s military alliances “cannot be assumed to be passing fancies”.

He said the shake-up in Washington meant “there should be no taboos about discussing the possibility of a fundamental divergence of outlook with the US”.

Prof Chalmers said the Ministry of Defence might not be able to rely on Washington to make up for gaps in British equipment and expertise. He said instead the MoD had to see if it could fill the gaps itself, or “contemplate moving to a less ambitious strategic posture in the event of a US retreat from its international commitments”.

The surprise election result also “points to the need for a review of the UK’s historic scepticism towards EU defence cooperation”, he said.

The risk that “an unpredictable US president” could veto Nato action meant Britain “may see a shared interest with its European allies in creating a more credible back-up”.

He said the UK could gain credibility with those allies if it relaxed its veto on an EU operational headquarters.

Meanwhile, a briefing by parliamentary researchers to No 10 has said the Government should prepare for a dramatic change in US policy towards Syria’s Bashar al-Assad under Mr Trump, who this week warned he could rip up President Barack Obama’s policy on the region.