After years of bitterness and uncertainty following Brexit, a new spirit of cooperation is finally taking root between the United Kingdom and the European Union. Though it remains too early to predict the precise outcome of this month’s pivotal EU-UK summit, it is already clear that the tone has shifted dramatically. Gone is the toxicity of the Brexit years; in its place, a mutual recognition of shared interests, common threats, and historic ties is beginning to flourish.

The slow healing process since the UK officially departed the EU has been accelerated by two major developments. First, the landslide election victory of the Labour Party last year, under the leadership of the pro-European Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has signaled a clear change in Britain’s approach to Europe. Second, the turbulent return of Donald Trump to the US presidency – bringing with it a volatile, protectionist, and isolationist American foreign policy – has jolted Europe and Britain alike into realizing the urgent need for closer cooperation on defense, trade, and values.

In the years following Brexit, both sides have increasingly recognized the necessity for a new kind of partnership. This partnership is not about reopening the question of Britain’s EU membership, even though polls show that approximately 55 percent of British voters now favor rejoining, compared to around 40 percent who prefer to remain outside. Political reality demands that any discussions about renewed ties be incremental, cautious, and focused on producing tangible benefits.

Recent electoral successes by the anti-European Reform UK party serve as a potent reminder that any move perceived as undermining Brexit could provoke a populist backlash. Labour’s strategy, therefore, has been wisely pragmatic: pursue step-by-step cooperation........

© Blitz