The director of Britain's most prestigious foreign affairs thinktank has declared that Donald Trump has effectively ended the Western alliance, compelling the United Kingdom to pursue a significantly bolder and more autonomous foreign policy, particularly towards the United States and China.
A Revolution in Foreign Policy
In her annual lecture, Bronwen Maddox, director of Chatham House, argued that the Trump administration's impulsiveness, taste for military action, and dismissal of international law represent a revolutionary shift. She stated that allies must now consider the previously unthinkable: defending themselves against the US in matters of both trade and security.
"It is not grandiose to call this the end of the western alliance," Maddox asserted, referring to the breakdown of a partnership founded on shared principles of individual liberty, constitutional democracy, and free trade. She warned that the risk of remaining silent is that these foundational principles become mere historical artefacts.
The UK's Precarious Balancing Act
Maddox highlighted the profound dilemma facing both the UK and Europe. London desperately wants two key things from Washington: a favourable trade deal and continued defence cooperation, including support for Ukraine. This need, she suggested, has led to a balancing act so agile that the UK's own policy has become hard to discern.
"We have seen in so many ways how the Trump administration can react very, very strongly to small things that people say," Maddox noted in an interview with the Guardian, explaining the government's cautious pragmatism.
She urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to be willing to differ publicly with the US on matters of principle. A prime example, she said, is the need to explicitly defend the BBC against a $10bn defamation lawsuit launched personally by Donald Trump. She described the case, relating to a Panorama clip about the January 6th Capitol riot, as a threat that could "impoverish and disrupt a citizen-funded national institution."
Standing Firm on China and New Alliances
Ahead of Starmer's imminent visit to China, Maddox pressed for a tougher stance. While not directly challenging China's plans for a large new embassy in London, she questioned why such an extensive diplomatic presence was necessary.
She also raised serious concerns about a pending decision on Chinese technology in UK wind turbines, warning it could give Beijing an "off switch" and vast data on national energy consumption. Furthermore, she called for Labour to address UK universities' financial dependence on Chinese students.
With the international order unravelling, Maddox concluded that countries, including the UK, must spend more on their own defence and rapidly build new regional partnerships. "This is about finding lots of 'coalitions of the willing' built around common interests," she said, emphasising that China is certain to try to fill the global leadership vacuum created by Trump's policies.
