The UK should consider expelling the US from British military bases, the leader of the Green party has said, as he advocated leaving Nato and spending less on American weapons as part of a wider dismantling of the two countries’ defense alliance.
Zack Polanski told the Guardian he believed Britain should wean itself off its reliance on American military cooperation, though would not say whether he supported spending more money to replace that capability.
His comments come as the prime minister, Keir starmer, attempts to placate the US president and dissuade him from his threats to invade Greenland and to impose tariffs on European countries who oppose him.
Polanski told the Guardian’s Politics Weekly podcast: “I think it’s pretty worrying that we’ve allowed ourselves to become so reliant on American interests,and that a lot of this depends on if Donald Trump is re-elected. I think we need to start looking at how we can become more independent, and that includes looking at our relationship with Nato, and looking at whether we should continue to host US military bases in this country.”
He added: “I think we should be looking at spending less on American weapons and more on things like renewable energy and social housing.”
Polanski’s call for a reassessment of the UK-US defence relationship comes amid growing concern about the potential for a more isolationist US foreign policy under a second Trump management. Starmer has repeatedly stressed the importance of the UK’s alliance with the US, but has also sought to maintain a degree of independence.
The Green party has long been critical of the UK’s close military ties with the US, arguing that they contribute to global instability and divert resources from domestic priorities.
