‘No quick fix’: Readers split on whether Trump’s Greenland threat is a catalyst for rejoining the EU

Independent readers were divided in their response to analysis from world affairs editor Sam Kiley, which suggested Donald Trump’s tariff threat over Greenland could mark a pivotal moment for the UK to rejoin the EU.

Many commenters backed the central premise, arguing that Trump’s behaviour has exposed the risks of standing alone and underlined the need for Britain to align more closely with European allies.

Supporters of closer integration said the UK and EU must act together in the face of US unpredictability, Russia’s aggression and growing global instability.

Several argued that rejoining the single market or customs union would be a pragmatic first step, strengthening economic resilience and diplomatic clout even if full EU membership remains a long-term prospect.

Others stressed that EU membership would bolster security indirectly by reinforcing Nato, stabilising markets and reducing the strategic advantage enjoyed by authoritarian powers.

However, critics warned that calls to rejoin the EU disregard the Brexit vote and would be politically toxic.

Some dismissed the EU as economically stagnant, undemocratic or irrelevant to defence, arguing that Nato – not Brussels – is the cornerstone of European security.

Others questioned the realism of rejoining at all, highlighting the likelihood of lengthy negotiations, tougher terms and demands for political consensus that does not yet exist.

Here’s what you had to say:

Now’s the right time to get back together with our allies – Europe, Canada, Australia etc. There’s no other option, unless we want Trump or Vance running our country. Brexit sovereignty looks total nonsense!

Headsgone

Hold an emergency referendum. Make the result binding in law. It will carry a supermajority. Leave areas would become pro-EU. Ironically, they have suffered more on average than Remain areas. This will provide confidence and set in stone the direction of travel for both EU and UK governments, current and future. It will remove all ambiguity and set a clear path, not to mention immediate financial benefits.

Overnight, the UK stops being an outlier nation and fiscal confidence will flood back, reducing pressure on government bonds and significantly reducing the £100bn government debt interest payments, supporting the value of the pound and reducing pressure on inflation. A win-win situation, unless you’re Nigel. It will cause the far right to pivot from immigrant bashing to real economic policy. I can’t see how they win that argument. What, an even harder Brexit is what you argue for?

Theframe

One thing you have to give to the Remainers: their ability to see an opportunity to rejoin a failing venture even in the remotest of events. I wish they would develop the ability to respect democracy.

MPs in the North will lose their seats if they advocate rejoining the EU. We now have sufficient evidence not to trust a word the Prime Minister says, so it is not beyond his masterful skills in the manoeuvre of the U-turn that he begins to pursue a rejoin agenda in a desperate attempt to cling on to No. 10. He has nothing to lose, for according to current predictions he is en route to losing his seat at the next election. But his MPs from the North are not in that position yet, and if they support Sir Keir in his rejoin misadventure, they too will follow their leader into oblivion.

Krispad

We can’t “rejoin the EU”. The best we can do is apply and hope the EU looks kindly on us, but the Trump problem is upon us right now, whereas renewed EU membership will be some years off.

Joining takes lengthy negotiations, and whoever is PM will have to seek an electoral mandate for it. In our case, that will mean unpicking post-Brexit deals, maybe joining the euro and probably a penalty clause to prevent a future rerun of Brexit.

It’s certainly something we should do, because it’s the best way to protect our economy and security in an unstable world, but Trump will be gone before it can take place. Putin, on the other hand, will still be around and is a more pressing reason for Europeans to maintain solidarity.

Tanaquil2

The EU is not a democracy and is always trying to politicise trade, and it is a very costly club to join. Yes, the UK must work closely with it, but not rejoin. What it should be focusing on more is Commonwealth countries.

The UK is the ceremonial head of Canada. This can be a key player in the future. Also, one must remember the US/Australian/UK nuclear submarine project that Trump would be insane to jeopardise, as it is an important deterrent to China.

pfbulmer

Like all bullies, Trump only respects strength. That’s why there is no point in individual European countries trying to persuade him to change his mind.

The EU and UK need to speak with one voice. Sadly, Trump knows there are right-wingers in the UK who are enthralled by the US and all it stands for. They would sell Britain out at the drop of a hat to please him.

Much as I wish we could rejoin the EU, it cannot be done overnight, and the right-wing press and Little England brigade would have a field day screaming “traitors” and “a betrayal of a democratic vote” (believe that one and you would never have elections every five years).

The best we can do at the moment is stand united with the EU over Greenland and push for inclusion in the single market.

tommy2tops

There is nothing I would like more than for the UK to rejoin the EU, but it is simply not on to claim that this would be anything other than extremely difficult. One hurdle is that the EU is unlikely to entertain any application with the spectre of Farage hovering in the background. They’ve said clearly that a political consensus would be required in the UK.

Other obstacles include the need to meet the EU’s regulatory criteria, which would require legislative alignment and potential reversal of post-Brexit policies. Public opinion would also need to be decisively pro-EU, and several member states would likely demand guarantees on budget contributions, freedom of movement and fisheries before even starting negotiations. Rejoining would therefore be a long and highly complex process. A decade would be an optimistic assessment for it to take place.

Musil

Customs union and other cooperation first. Actually, “rejoining” can wait until polling shows it’s not likely to get reversed by the next right-wing government.

It doesn’t need to be all or nothing – that was the biggest mistake of Brexit itself. The public should have had a say on the deal, and they wouldn’t have chosen the hard Brexit we ended up with. There’s no reason to stick with it now.

meolive

Nato is the military organisation that defends Europe (with or without the USA). The EU is an economic bloc. I fail to see how rejoining it will strengthen our security. Indeed, the financial penalty the EU will impose on the UK will add to Ms Reeves’ ever-increasing financial “black hole” and finally bankrupt the country.

EnglishCastle

No brainer – interesting that Winston Churchill (one of the “founding fathers” of the EU) proposed that we establish a European army in 1951, just a few years after his iconic Zurich speech calling for a United States of Europe. He foresaw what was to come.

egoodyer

Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.

Want to share your views? Simply register your details below. Once registered, you can comment on the day’s top stories for a chance to be featured. Alternatively, click ‘log in’ or ‘register’ in the top right corner to sign in or sign up

Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment, click here