An offer to Europe

The world has changed. Britain can renew the EU and be a part of it

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If Donald Trump has a virtue, it is forcing the world to think again.

He is a vandal but he is also a messenger, revealing a trend towards an America more self-involved and less interested in the world than it has been for a century. From Sudan to Ukraine, this America wants to do less. It wants nothing to do with global agreements that might constrain its tech giants. It is ready to decouple the world's biggest economies, leaving the rest to pick sides. Pax Americana has given way to Unreliable America. For the UK this is a moment to revisit fundamental assumptions and decisions. A rethink is essential, above all on Britain's relationship with Europe.

On 19 May Keir Starmer and Ursula von der Leyen will announce an EU-UK reset. Preparations throughout Whitehall have been defined by caution. Even those most enthusiastic about reforging a relationship with the EU have assumed that the best Britain can do is pursue a “maximalist” approach within self-imposed red lines.

The Observer has taken a clear and consistent position against leaving the EU and the absurdity of a hard Brexit that was never on a ballot paper. Even so, a taboo has grown around the very subject of Britain in Europe. For two reasons, it's time to end that taboo.