With the Democratic National Convention taking place this week, it’s crucial to consider the potential consequences for Britain and global stability if Kamala Harris emerges victorious in the presidential election in November.
The past four years have not been kind to the special relationship. After Donald Trump’s warmth towards Britain, Joe Biden’s tenure called into question the commitment Democrats have to America’s alliance with the UK.
Often seen as one of the most anti-British presidents, Biden’s approach to Brexit, the Good Friday Agreement, and his handling of Afghanistan all suggested that he felt some hostility towards the UK and cast doubt on his dedication to the special relationship. His reluctance to advance a mutually beneficial US-UK trade deal was just one glaring example. During his first in-person meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Biden actually urged the UK to adopt a more Europe-centric approach to foreign affairs. In other words, he wanted the UK to readopt the role of ‘gatekeeper to Europe’ it held before Brexit. This laid bare Biden’s view that Brexit is a problem to be managed rather than an opportunity for the country.
Biden’s Irish heritage clearly influenced his approach to the UK, with his often-expressed disdain for Britain aligning with his support for the EU and his Irish nationalism. This manifested in his threats about any potential disturbance to the Good Friday Agreement – an intervention that did not go unnoticed in Britain. His chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, a decision taken unilaterally, further corroded the relationship between the two countries.
Diplomatic snubs, such as Biden’s absence from King Charles’s coronation, contributed as well to the perception that he holds the UK in low regard. This perceived neglect has registered in Westminster, further undermining trust and leading to questions as to the enduring value of the special relationship.
Kamala Harris, the uninspiring vice president who soon could dictate US foreign policy, might pose an even greater challenge for the UK. While Harris doesn’t share Joe Biden’s exaggerated Irish inherited grudge against Britain, her own background could well shape her personal views of America’s closest ally. Harris’s mother was born in India and someone who knew her felt, ‘she could personally identify with the struggles that African-American students were processing and confronting because she came from a society where she understood the oppression of colonialism.’ Harris’s father is known as a ‘Marxist’ economics professor who left Jamaica to work at UC Berkeley.
Harris has already shown disrespect for the UK. During her visit to Britain last November, her speech on AI overshadowed the UK’s AI summit. While the British government was addressing long-term AI risks, Harris diverted attention to her own agenda, emphasising immediate concerns like bias and discrimination. Not only did she hijack Rishi Sunak’s event, but she also openly criticised the UK’s approach to AI governance. This is not how close allies should treat one another. Her track record of criticising allies like India and Israel over human rights issues suggests she might not hesitate to publicly criticise the UK in future as well, further complicating diplomatic relations.
Harris has been ridiculed for her frequent use of the phrase ‘unburdened by the past’. But this phrase is actually more sinister than amusing. Ironically – though not unusually for those on the left – she means the exact opposite of what she says. She is burdened. Her burden – and America’s if she is elected – comes from the historical grievances from which identity politics is formed.
If Britain does strike a trade deal with a Harris administration, it will be oppressed by this ideology. You can bet that any deal will be highly focused on workers’ rights (as she perceives them), rather than free trade and enterprise. Harris has embraced the ‘price gouging’ narrative used to justify anti-free market policies, and this will likely heavily constrain any transatlantic trade agreement. That said, the degree to which Keir Starmer has been cowed by Britain’s trade unions in the few short weeks since coming to power suggests this may not be a problem for the Labour government. But while Harris’s extreme progressive views on economic reform, climate change, and human rights may align closely with Keir Starmer’s agenda, and those of his left-leaning European counterparts, they are not in the UK’s broader interests.
Biden’s presidency has strained the US-UK alliance and a Harris administration could push it to the brink. But America’s electoral destiny remains undecided. Donald Trump may yet emerge victorious. His election would give the UK a chance to reset its relationship with America on new terms.
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