Last week, Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer both gave big speeches to the nation. Trump’s effort reminded me of Macbeth’s verdict on life: “A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury/Signifying nothing.” Starmer’s felt more like a tale told by a lawyer, empty of drama or panache — but quietly significant.
The prime minister’s address was the most pro-European speech that he has given since winning power. Starmer spoke of the need to be bolder in building a partnership with the EU “for the dangerous world that we must navigate together”. There is an ambitious vision lurking behind those words. Future historians may look back on his speech as a crucial step down the long and winding path that will eventually lead Britain back into the EU.
Trump has done a lot to create the conditions for Britain to draw closer to the EU. The US president’s erratic and abusive behaviour towards the UK — imposing tariffs, insulting the British armed forces, courting Russia — has alienated the British public and woken up the country’s governing class. A YouGov poll last week showed that just 14 per cent of British people still believed Britain and the US had a “special relationship” and only 18 per cent wanted to be closer to America. By contrast, 57 per cent wanted to get closer to the EU.