Britain’s former European Union (EU) negotiator, Lord Frost, has explained how the country should be on a better footing to deal with any Trump trade or tariff deals than the slow-moving Brussels-based bloc.
Lord Frost, a former Brexit minister, said that by operating independently, Britain can respond to external events more effectively than the larger and slower-moving European Union.
Frost’s comments came in response to a Sky News article suggesting that the UK stumbled into a favorable position regarding the tariff threats.
He tweeted: “This was not by accident. I have consistently argued that being in control of your own national affairs is the best approach for any country.
“No matter how large you are, you cannot control external events. However, you can position yourself to respond to them in the best possible way. That is what we can now achieve after leaving the EU.”
Not by accident though.
I have consistently argued that being in charge of your own national affairs is the best thing for any country. However big you are, you can't control external events. But you can put yourself in a position to react to them in the best possible way.… https://t.co/Gwq2eglGfq
— David Frost (@DavidGHFrost) February 4, 2025
The news comes as the nations newly-elected, left-wing government attempts to pull the country back into closer co-operation with Brussels, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party even sending activists to the United States to campaign against President Donald J. Trump in the U.S. general election.
Starmer currently suffers embarrassingly low approval rates, with Nigel Farage’s recently re-constituted Reform Party now leading in a number of national polls. The next UK general election, however, is slated for 2029.