UK-US relationship in age of Trump ‘now under pressure’
THE UK’S relationship with the USA is under “disturbing pressure”, and if Donald Trump secured a second term in the White House it would result in “longer lasting” damage to the alliance, peers warned.
The Lords International Relations Committee said the actions of the Trump administration over issues including the Paris climate change deal, the Iran nuclear accord and steel tariffs had been “contrary to the interests of the UK”.
After an inquiry which took evidence from senior politicians and foreign policy experts on both sides of the Atlantic, the peers said the UK may have to place “less reliance” on reaching a common position on foreign policy with Washington than it had in the past.
In a wide-ranging report examining the shifting state of global affairs, the committee recommended:
■ Continuing to counter and deter the activities of “declining power” Russia, but remain open to dialogue with Moscow on issues including counter-terrorism and nuclear non-proliferation
■ Seeking to work closely with China on addressing global challenges while ensuring co-operation is consistent with humanitarian law
■ Appointing a minister with specific responsibility for cyber security and establishing an international “coalition of the willing” to tackle the increasingly significant online threat.
With the next US presidential election in 2020, the committee said another Trump victory – or the election of another similar administration – could further weaken the transatlantic alliance.
The report noted that while intelligence and defence co-operation with the US continued, “the difficulty the UK and its allies have faced in trying to influence the US demonstrates the challenge of working with the administration”.
“How damaging this will be to what has hitherto been the UK’s most important international relationship will depend on whether the current approach is an enduring trend. Should President Trump win a second term, or a similar administration succeed him, the damage to UK-US relations will be longer lasting.”
Should Trump win a second term, the damage will be longer-lasting. Report by the Lords International Relations Committee.