This opinion piece was originally published in the County Times, 7 February 2026, and can be found here.

President Trump’s revival of gunboat diplomacy last month demonstrated how much the world has changed in the last ten years.

In 2016, Britain had a close partnership with the United States, a seat at the European table, and benign relations with China and Russia. These are cards we no longer hold. The world has changed around us and we must adapt.

It is my view that we cannot hope for long-term security without forging closer ties with Europe.

International relations can seem abstract when much of being an MP involves visiting constituency organisations, helping residents with casework, and debating legislation that affects the areas we represent.

Of course, world affairs influence all these things. That means, as your MP, it is something I have to take into consideration when doing my job.

The US threatened to apply a 25% tariff on British exports because we criticised their intention to seize the sovereign territory of a NATO ally. That would have been on top of the 10% already levied after Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ announcement last April, which I wrote about in the County Times then.

Taken together, this could have cost the economy nearly £22 billion alongside a sizeable hit to growth – comfortably enough to push us into a recession – had the US not backed down.

For local businesses in Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr, that would mean supply chain disruption, lower consumer spending, higher costs, reduced demand. It would mean less prosperity, and for fewer people. That is certainly not abstract.

Thankfully, they did back down, for now. But the lesson from this is plain to see. Firstly, the fortunes of our local economy depend on global economic circumstances, as the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine also showed.

Secondly, the United States is no longer a reliable economic partner nor a reliable ally.

The European Union isn’t perfect. Nothing in life is. But the world is growing increasingly dangerous, and we need the support of trusted allies. That is why the Labour government must boost ties with our closest neighbours.

We have already made a good start, negotiating a veterinary deal that will cut trade barriers for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr farmers (75% of Welsh food and drink exports go to the EU), and rejoining the Erasmus scheme to make it easier for students to study in Europe.

I believe we should go further. Old certainties no longer hold and we must choose a side. For me, that choice is clear – it is collective security, reliable partners, and stronger economic growth with Europe.