3rd Report - Adjusting to new realities: rebalancing the UK-US partnership

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government's response to the Committee's report states agreement, partial agreement or disagreement on each recommendation, disagreeing with Recommendation 2 and stating that the US "remains an indispensable partner" while pursuing "a balanced approach" with European partners.

• On Recommendation 2, the government disagrees that it can no longer assume the US will guarantee European security. It recognises "the need for European partners to take greater responsibility for their own security" and pursues deepening US ties alongside strengthening UK capability and European cooperation.
• On defence spending (Recommendation 3, Agree), the government is committed to 5% of GDP "by 2035". Further detail on the trajectory "will be set out at future fiscal events in line with economic and fiscal conditions".
• On the Committee's call for a China strategy (Recommendation 7, Agree), the government says it will take "a consistent, long term and strategic approach", cooperating "where we can" and challenging "where we must".
• The government partially agrees on hedging against US volatility (Recommendation 18) but says it "does not characterise the relationship with the US through the lens of political volatility".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error