Reigniting an Old Dance

As Trump reorients U.S. foreign policy towards a transactional nationalism, Starmer and Macron forge a pragmatic partnership to lead Europe.

Few relationships in international diplomacy have oscillated between camaraderie and rivalry as dramatically as that between Britain and France. From centuries of bloody wars to pragmatic alliances, these cross-Channel neighbours have rarely enjoyed a quiet moment. Now, amid global certainty in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump exhorting the Europeans to look after themselves and not look up to the White House for help, the latest occupants of Downing Street and the Élysée Palace are attempting what their predecessors often failed to sustain - a stable, strategic and warm partnership.

Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have found common ground in crisis. As Trump reorients U.S. foreign policy towards a transactional nationalism and brings Vladimir Putin back from diplomatic exile, the European order is in flux. Starmer has seized the opportunity to ‘reset’ Britain’s relationship with its European allies, with France at the centre of his recalibration.

For all their stylistic differences, the two men have developed a mutual respect that has translated into action. They have rallied European allies to bolster Ukraine’s defences, pledging security guarantees to Kyiv and contemplating a more assertive military role in any post-war settlement. The ‘coalition of the willing’ they are assembling may not be as grand as its name suggests, but its ambitions are clear: to provide a European counterweight to Trump’s blunt diplomacy, ensuring that any peace settlement in Ukraine does not come at the cost of European security.

It is a remarkable turnaround in Anglo-French relations, which had reached a nadir during Brexit negotiations and their immediate aftermath. At the time, relations plunged into acrimony as Boris Johnson, with trademark bluster, dismissed Macron’s concerns over security and trade. The Aukus pact (Britain’s defence alliance with the United States and Australia) forged behind France’s back had only deepened tensions. Macron, stung by the loss of a lucrative submarine deal and what he saw as a ‘betrayal,’ had recalled his ambassador from Washington but kept his diplomatic fury simmering in private when it came to London.

Yet, history suggests that Britain and France have always managed to find a way back to each other. The Entente Cordiale of 1904 ended centuries of conflict and laid the groundwork for cooperation in two world wars. De Gaulle’s veto of Britain’s entry into the European Economic Community in the 1960s was later offset by joint military operations in Libya and Mali. Even Brexit, the great point of contention of the past decade, has not prevented the two countries from recognizing their mutual dependence on security and trade.

Despite the current warmth, old suspicions remain. Paris has long viewed London as an unreliable European partner, too deeply entwined with Washington to act independently. Brexit has not resolved disputes over fishing rights, and French policymakers still regard Britain’s foreign policy instincts as leaning toward the Atlantic rather than the Continent.

Still, for now, necessity has bound Britain and France together. As Europe grapples with an unpredictable geopolitical landscape, the two nations are acting as intermediaries between Ukraine and an America increasingly reluctant to lead. When Starmer convened a virtual summit of European leaders last week to strategize on Ukrainian security, it was seen in Paris as further proof that Britain was finally treating Europe as an ally rather than a mere inconvenience.

In many ways, this Franco-British rapprochement is less about affection than about survival. With the transatlantic axis no longer as reliable as it once was, Europe must look to its own resources. Macron, always a proponent of European strategic autonomy, has found in Starmer a partner willing to move beyond the ideological baggage of Brexit and engage with the Continent on its own terms.

But history reminds us that Anglo-French cooperation is often a matter of convenience rather than destiny. For now, Starmer and Macron have aligned their priorities. But as with all past episodes, the question is not whether the relationship will last, but how long before its next inevitable test.