You need us: the British strategy for pivoting towards Europe

Luigi Scazzieri, the assistant director of the Centre for European Reform, describes it as ‘shallow’, with very limited co-operation on capability development. “The rules for third country involvement in PESCO [Permanent Structured Co-operation), the European Defence Fund and EDIRPA [procurement] are very complex. While in principle, third countries and third country entities are allowed to participate, in practice the EU’s rules limit their involvement.”

...The UK government would like to think that European defence is too important to become bogged down in second-order spats. But it is almost certainly wrong about that. “The agreement is being held up over fish,” says Scazzieri. “I don't think it will be struck until fish is resolved. A positive scenario is one where both are agreed at the May summit.”

... “Starmer has always been clear that the coalition needs two things: a US security guarantee and an agreed ceasefire,” says Scazzieri. “Neither of the two seem likely, least of all Putin agreeing to a deployment of western forces in Ukraine as part of a ceasefire.”

How long can Starmer really continue to position the UK as a bridge between the US and the EU? “In theory Britain can continue not choosing,” says Scazzieri. “In practice there is a risk that the EU or the US get annoyed with it precisely because it is not choosing. So that position could become more uncomfortable over time.”