European leaders are planning to ask Britain to head up a new
security organisation to counter future geopolitical challenges, in a
move to put post-Brexit tensions behind them.
Proposals for a “European Security Council” are being drawn up by
Germany, the Netherlands and Poland in order to bring “Britain back into
the fold” of major foreign policy discussions outside the confines of
the European Union.
The influential EU capitals believe it is now time to end years of bitterness after Brexit
and forge new ties based on security and global co-operation, all to
ensure Europe is better positioned to tackle world crises, in areas such
as the Ukraine crisis and future pandemics.
A group of countries are already urging Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, to personally reach out to Boris Johnson
to “bring Britain back into the fold”. Berlin is considered to have
enough political heft to ensure the proposals, which are still in their
early stages, have maximum impact.
“Continental leaders need to say we’re sitting down, and it would be
great if you sat down with us,” a senior European diplomat told the
Telegraph.
Britain’s handling of the Ukraine crisis, especially the willingness of Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, to work with EU allies, has reinforced European calls to improve ties with the UK, the source added.
However, there is a very large fly in the ointment in the shape of Macron, who opposes the plans!
