Next month, the UK government plans to reveal new legislation to bring the nation nearer to the European Union, as the conflict in Iran strains the UK's so-called special bond with the United States.
President Donald Trump's erratic behavior and barrage of insults directed at America's longstanding ally is fueling Prime Minister Keir Starmer's efforts to strengthen connections with the 27-member bloc, ten years after Britons narrowly chose to exit the EU.
"According to Evie Aspinall, director of the British Foreign Policy Group think-tank, 'We have a government keen to enhance its relationship with the EU, and the situation in Iran presents a chance to hasten that progression,'" AFP reported.
Starmer's government is working on an EU "reset" bill that will grant ministers the authority to adapt UK standards to evolving EU single market rules—referred to as "dynamic alignment."
A government official speaking to AFP on the condition of anonymity reported that King Charles III will reveal the legislation on May 13 when he presents Starmer's legislative agenda for the upcoming months.
Since his Labour party won the 2024 general election and removed the Conservatives, who executed the 2016 Brexit referendum, Starmer has consistently advocated for a stronger economic and security partnership with Europe.
He has increased those calls recently, informing Dutch leader Rob Jetten on Tuesday that "he thought the partnership between the UK and the bloc must be suitable for the challenges we are encountering today."
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The EU is the largest trading partner for Britain, and this week the International Monetary Fund cautioned that the UK will be the advanced economy most affected by the conflict in Iran.
"Certainly Iran has made it (the reset) more prescient," said the UK official.
"We need to build economic resilience across the continent," they added.
Starmer refused to involve Britain in the US and Israel's initial strikes on February 28, angering Trump, although he has since allowed American forces to use UK bases for a "limited defensive purpose".
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Under pressure at home for his disastrous decision to appoint former Jeffrey Epstein associate Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington, Starmer has received plaudits for standing up to Trump in the face of repeated taunts from the US president.
Days ago, Trump threatened in a phone interview with Sky News to scrap a US-UK trade deal that limited the impact on Britain of his tariffs blitz.
"There's no doubt that there is now momentum in the UK-EU relationship partly as a result of Trump's unreliable behaviour," David Henig, an expert on UK's post-Brexit trade policy says.
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Independent UK trade policy looks much harder, the prospects of working with the EU much brighter.