Last week marked a seismic shift in global politics. At the Munich Security Conference, US Vice President JD Vance made it clear that America would no longer guarantee European security. This suddent realignment could present Keir Starmer with a unique opportunity – not only to forge closer ties with the EU but to potentially accelerate the path for Britain to rejoin the union.
Vance’s shocking statement was accompanied by rhetoric blaming Europe for sidelining far-right parties like Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD). This seismic shift, combined with reports that President Trump is trying to impose a Ukraine peace deal negotiated in Saudi Arabia – without the participation of Ukraine or the EU – signals a return to a world dominated by great power politics, where smaller nations are treated as bargaining chips.
This is the reality Britain now faces: a world where the post-Cold War order is rapidly dissolving, and the United States is no longer a stable ally for European democracies. The European Union, once able to rely on American backing, must now strengthen its own military and political resilience. The UK, caught between the US and the EU, can no longer hedge its bets. It must choose a side.
An unexpected opportunity for Starmer
The British government is attempting to maintain relationships with both Washington and Brussels, but this balancing act is unsustainable. Trump’s political movement is openly hostile to European cooperation, with climate, security and economic policies that threaten not just the EU but global stability.
Next Thursday, Starmer will visit Trump in the White House for his first face-to-face meeting, hoping to secure Britain’s influence in Washington. A government spokesman said: “There’s going to be a wide range of issues that we’ll be working with the new US administration on. The Prime Minister looks forward to meeting President Trump shortly to discuss how we can deepen the special relationship across trade, investment and security.”
If Britain continues aligning with a MAGA-led US, we will seem like an unreliable partner when it comes to European interests.
After the Munich conference, Guardian journalist Nick Cohen summed up the reality: “The radical right in the US is not engaged in a grand geopolitical strategy. It is pursuing an ideological campaign against its true enemy, which is not China or Russia but liberalism. The US culture war has gone global. The Trump administration hates liberals at home and liberal democracies abroad.” If he’s right, then Starmer – like other European leaders – is on the wrong side of that ideological divide, whether he realises it or not, and the idea that he can sway Trump is naïve.
Britain’s geopolitcal reality
But whether or not Starmer intends to take a strong stance against Trump, he is being drawn into Europe’s orbit by the geopolitical reality. His firm support for Ukraine places him in alignment with the EU, not with Trump, whose administration is actively undermining Western unity on the issue. The more he affirms Britain’s commitment to Ukrainian resistance, the further he distances himself from Washington. This alignment is not just symbolic – it has strategic implications. It means the UK will have to engage more deeply with European defence cooperation and seek economic partnerships that reduce reliance on a volatile US administration.
Meanwhile, Starmer has spoken with Volodymyr Zelenskyy to give the Ukrainian president his backing after Donald Trump called him a “dictator.” That will not have gone down well in Washington. Under Trump, the United States is abandoning the post–World War II world order it helped to build and guarantee for the past 80 years. “Russia poses an existential threat to Europeans,” President Emmanuel Macron said this week. The UK cannot afford to pretend otherwise.
The alternative: Europe’s arsenal of democracy
The EU, for all its imperfections, remains a functioning democratic bloc that is having to rapidly adapt to this new geopolitical landscape. It is strengthening its economic and security policies, taking on the role the US once played as the ‘arsenal of democracy.’ This will mean significant increases in defence spending and economic investment among EU members and their partners. Britain, should it seek to engage with Europe meaningfully, must decide whether to stand as a true ally or remain on the sidelines, unreliable and isolated.
For Starmer, this moment is more than just about security – it offers a political opening Britain has not had since Brexit. A deeper UK-EU alignment on defence and trade could lay the groundwork for a return to the EU itself. This would not be just about economics, but about geopolitical security. As Europe strengthens its own defence and economic structures, Britain’s return could reinforce both its global influence and its long-term stability.
While rejoining has long been seen as a distant prospect, the changing geopolitical landscape might accelerate the process. Britain’s interests, increasingly intertwined with Europe’s, could create the conditions for a faster reintegration.
But for those who want the UK to rejoin, there is an important reality to accept: membership would mean full participation. The days of opt-outs and special deals are over. Countries seeking accession, from Ukraine to the Western Balkans, are willing to sacrifice and reform to join the European project. Britain cannot expect to return on its own terms – it must embrace the EU as a political, economic and democratic union, not merely as a trade agreement.
The campaign to rejoin would require years of political transformation. It is not enough to point out the economic damage of Brexit. Pro-European politicians must emerge in both Labour and the Conservatives, or voters must be willing to back parties like the Greens or Liberal Democrats, who are clear about rejoining. The process of accession would take time, but the shifting geopolitical landscape provides an opportunity. The EU has accelerated accession timelines for Ukraine and the Western Balkans in response to the Russian threat. If Britain moves decisively, Starmer could position the UK for a return sooner than previously imagined.
The choice Britain faces
Britain is now at a crossroads. Aligning with Trump’s America means economic uncertainty and geopolitical instability. Aligning with Europe offers security and economic resilience. The reality is that the UK’s interests – on Ukraine, climate policy, trade and democratic values – are increasingly aligned with Brussels, not Washington. Whether our leaders acknowledge it or not, Britain is already being drawn back towards Europe. The only question is whether we seize this moment or allow events to dictate our fate.
