The UK is leaving the European Union

Picture by Remo Corteggiani

Rome [ENA] The UK is leaving the European Union, in spirit if not in immediate legal jurisdiction. The crucial phase of Brexit will not appear until next month of October, but the financial sector is already hectic. Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Dublin are the locations with the most to gain overall from the transition, with Luxembourg, Brussels and Warsaw all picking up business as well. The so called special relationship

between the US and the UK seems to have had little relevance for President Donald Trump. After the Brexit referendum of June 2016, many of the “Brexiteers” in the Conservative Party including Prime Minister Theresa May hoped that a revitalization of relations with the U.S., perhaps by means of a free trade treaty, would be a standard response to any political and economic loss due to the UK’s departure from the European Union. The United Kingdom imagined that once it had thrown away its membership of 45 years and left the European Union in 2019, it would be able to catch up and renew its relations with the Commonwealth countries and the United States.

President Donald Trump’s rhetoric recurrently praised the country for its desire to get back “its sovereignty” and “control over its borders.” In reality, Trump was so focused on the achievement of his “America First” policy that it was improbable that he would be motivated to grant any special favors or generous trade terms to the UK. Since Donald Trump’s inauguration as president in January 2017, U.S. foreign relations have been changeable and unpredictable. And this situation comprised relations with Britain, traditionally Washington’s closest ally. For Britain and its self-inflicted Brexit dilemma, this is highly calamitous. In the aftermath of the Brexit referendum of June 2016 Prime Minister Theresa May emphasized that London wished

to strengthen and deepen its relations with the United States. Despite the much acclaimed “special relationship” that goes back to the days of Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill,Washington seems to be quite unwilling to treat the UK as a privileged partner. Trump’s mantra of “America First” clearly explains the nationalist and protectionist policy that has begun to lead U.S. politics. If USA are enthusiastic about negotiating a free trade agreement with London, this did not mean that they would concede any particular generous terms.

Gradually British politicians have become progressively cooler toward the Trump administration. Trump’s state visit to the UK in the summer of 2018 was criticized by many and shows that the mutual respect between the two countries has all but disappeared. At the moment the United Kingdom Parliament - closed following the suspension requested by Prime Minister Boris Johnson - asks for clarity on the effects of a Brexit no-deal on October 31, and on the exit plans proposed in the "Operation Yellowhammer" dossier prepared by the government.