London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Francois Hollande, former French President made a direct appeal to Keir Starmer, asking him to step up and lead Europe after Trump returns to the White House.
Francois Hollande, who led France between 2012 and 2017, insisted on the importance of UK-EU collaboration “to respond to Trump’s offensive and to find solutions for the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East”.
He added, “Keir Starmer needs to position himself as a European leader, while not being in the European Union. This is what he must sell to the British public”.
Mr Hollande, addressing reporters after an event at King’s College London, stated, “Starmer is in a favourable position, one in which he needs to capitalise on the benefits, not only for the United Kingdom but also to the benefit of Europe”.
According to the report by The Times, Hollande issued a warning about the president-elect, “only understands relationships based on strength”.
The left-wing leader, after leaving office in 2017 amid unpopularity over economic turmoil and personal scandal, also endorsed Sir Keir’s efforts to rebuild EU relations, urging the UK’s PM to “show Europeans he is a partner again”.
Currently a member of the French parliament, Mr Hollande is reportedly considering a second run for the presidency in 207 after Macron’s term ends.
The governor of the Ban of England called Britain to restore ties with Brussels, warning of Brexit’s economic fallout.
As fears grow over a global trade war during Trump;s second term, Andrew Bailey warned of Brexit’s economic toll stating it has “weighed on the level of potential supply”.
Mr Bailey said, ““It underlines why we must be alert to and welcome opportunities to rebuild relations while respecting the decision of the British people”.
He continued, “The picture is now clouded by the impact of geopolitical shocks and the broader fragmentation of the world economy”.
Donald Trump during the election campaign announced plans to impose a 20% tariffs on all US imports and up to 60% on Chinese products.
Experts warn this move would increase pressure on UK goods prices, fueling rising inflation.
As part of Sir Keir’s EU reset, he is expected to bring fresh pressure for a youth mobility scheme, giving young people the freedom to live and work across European countries for several years.
While Sir Keir Starmern asserted the UK has no intention of seeking such a deal, official records show the European council has proposed a discussion on the topic this Friday.
Sir Ed Davey, leader of the LibDems, urged Sir Keir Starmenr to champion an urgent European conference to address how the EU can step in if the US withdraws or weakens its Nato role.
He also said, UK must fix the “broken trading relationship left in tatters by the Conservatives. We don’t want a trade war. We need to try and argue him out of that idea, argue against tariffs, and we need to try to persuade him to stand by Ukraine with us”. Adding, “But, but we also need to make our country Trump-proof. We can’t just do whatever he says”.
Former UKIP MP Douglas Carswell told the Express this week that UK is in a great position to get benefit from Trum’s second term.
He further explained, “There’s clearly a choice that people who make statecraft in Britain, need to make. You’ve got the United States taking off technologically and demographically and economically. Its population is growing. It is literally planning on sending rockets to Mars and it is on the cusp of an AI revolution. On the other side of the Atlantic, you’ve got the European bloc, which is sclerotic and in decline. You can’t even manage an email list in Europe without running the risk of being sued under GDPR regulations, which shockingly, Britain still remains positive”.
He continued, “The European Union is likely to be going to waging a regulatory war against Musk, against Microsoft, against all the American big tech companies”.