Momentum Builds for 'Freezing Out' Trump and the USA

VP Vance's insults and lies in Munich have turned away even those formerly leaning towards Trump and his new America.

There is considerable anger this morning in the coffee rooms at Westminster at the speech made by US VP Vance in Munich a few days ago.

The serial lies, half-truths and insults aimed at European leaders have since been so thoroughly busted that even those MPs at Westminster (wearing blue or aqua rosettes) that formerly leaned, a little or a lot, towards Trump are quiet and sheepish today.

Well, not all of them, obviously.

The Tory Right who proclaimed Trump as the Master of All Things are unable to defend the words of Vance. Only Patel and Badenoch have really publicly commented, with some staffers saying …

“Well, what could Badenoch do but chip in? She’s almost ostracised in parliament. Ridiculed. Pathetic. She has to say something, anything, to be relevant. And the more controversial, the better - for her. Not so much for the bloody Party.”

- Tory MP aide overheard in a coffee room, quickly written down, verbatim.

Other Tory MPs and their staffers remain tight lipped. Some are even hinting that we might need closer ties with Europe, for both security and economic reasons. And these people were Brexiteers.

Reform, naturally, concede sovereignty and express a willingness to obey His Orangeness’ Every Command. For a party that declared so often the wish for the UK to ‘Get Our Country Back’ they seem extremely keen to do what Musk, Trump and Vance tell them.

One modest clash occurred this morning, witnessed by half a dozen … (with language cleaned up) …

“A Reform MP (we think, Lee Anderson) was challenged in a corridor by a Tory Whip, on his willingness to perform fellatio on the current President. Anderson retorted with ‘Socialist c**t’, to which came the reply, ‘Sorry, I couldn’t hear you with Musk’s d**k in your mouth.’ Both MPs quickly passed on in silence when they realised they had a small audience.”

- Paraphrased from a witness.

One particularly angry group - the Scots MPs at Westminster. Oh, we’ve heard some rather unparliamentary language this morning in the coffee rooms and bars. Words too vile for us delicate ladies to repeat. We had to look some of them up.

Vance decided - or more likely, someone told him - that somehow specifically targetting the Scots with his lies wouldn’t spectacularly backfire.

You simply don’t go after the Scots. They have long memories.

Defence Contracts

But it goes further. There are buzzes that some Defence Contracts might need to be revisited, for several reasons :

• There is a possibility that if relations between UK and USA deteriorate further, Trump might choose to flex his muscles, such as they are, by reducing or withdrawing technical support and/or supply of parts for US armaments purchased in UK, as he’s done before.

• With greater links with Europe and the EU being on the cards as the best direction, PM Starmer and the Ministry of Defence are being called to make a bold gesture both by Party and European allies, and switching defence purchases to EU manufacturers would be such a gesture.

• Although it may well be publicly explained away as ‘Defence Budget and Requirements Reassessment’, the White House will see it for what it is. Message delivered, with no downside.

And more …

Five Eyes

There are some MPs, cross-party, who want the UK out of Five Eyes, the joint Australia / Canada / New Zealand / UK / USA Intelligence Signals Alliance. Feelings are that classified information under Trump is highly likely to end up scattered on the floor or in storerooms around Mar-A-Lago or handed through channels to Russia in a trade for something benefitting the USA.

“We can’t trust America, or Trump, or the CIA or State Department any longer. Their loyalties are suspect, their abilities and competence are doubtful, their adherence to security protocols are appalling, and we simply can’t risk it.”

- Staffer, quoting her MP on the Defence Committee.

There are even some MPs - again, cross-party - who are muttering the unmutterable - Whence remains the need for American bases in the UK?

“We know why WE needed US bases in the UK. We know why THEY needed them. We knew what the threat was, then. Is that threat current ? No. Do we need them? No. Do we even want them? Increasingly, no.”

- Staffer, quoting her MP on the Defence Committee.

What is certain, is that the last month has damaged UK-USA relations, perhaps not beyond future repair, but certainly for the foreseeable future.