Europe & the World Looking at Europe EU-US: Britain will be weaker without EU, says Washington

The Daily Telegraph reports that the US government is increasingly worried by developments in the UK, where anti-EU sentiment and the Ukipare on the rise. In a context where Conservative PM David Cameron has remarked that Britain out of Europe was "imaginable" while his government has continued to drift towards holding a referendum on EU membership, the Obama administration is concerned about British withdrawal from EU institutions, which “would also reduce American influence on the continent.”

Historically, Washington has been able to rely on London for support for its views, particularly in the fields of foreign policy and free trade where Britain’s advocacy is thought to be crucial to prevent a “drift towards protectionism” in the EU. The fear is that a UK whose involvement in Europe is limited to participation in the single market will be a much weaker ally. AsThe Daily Telegraph reports —

“It is important to state very clearly that a strong UK in a strong Europe is in America's national interest," said a senior US administration official. "We recognise national states but see the EU as a force multiplier”.

The news that America will be exerting pressure to keep Britain in the European fold has not been welcomed by the Eurosceptic Ukip, whose foreign affairs spokesman, William Dartmouth, remarked: "It is not the job of the UK to make the work of US diplomats easier. It is our job to secure our own interests."

available at http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief/3183251-britain-will-be-weaker-without-eu-says-washington?xtor=RSS-9