Not since Britain voted to leave the sinking European project have we been offered such an opportunity. Yesterday, US Vice-President JD Vance was unequivocal. ‘The President really loves the United Kingdom,’ he said in an interview. ‘He loved the Queen. He admires and loves the King. And he’s a businessman and has a number of important business relationships in [Britain]. ‘But I think it’s much deeper than that. There’s a real cultural affinity... I think there’s a good chance that, yes, we’ll come to a great agreement that’s in the best interest of both countries.’ JD Vance was, of course talking about a trade deal. And making it clear that President Trump is offering a once-in-a generation chance to forge a seriously bright future for Brexit Britain on the world stage, with potentially enormous economic and political benefits. In 2016 the British people voted to leave an EU that trampled upon their sovereignty for nearly half a century. And it is because Britons are free of the shackles of Brussels that the United States is offering this economic lifeboat at a time it is so desperately needed. This is a moment for the UK to seize the day and embrace an agreement that can only enhance prosperity in both the world’s largest and sixth-largest economies. Indeed, the benefits of a trade deal cannot be overstated. The US is our largest import and export partner for services, and the second largest importer of British goods after Germany, with transport and pharmaceutical products playing a crucial role in trade. A deal would maintain and enhance this crucial commercial relationship, while generating jobs and promoting genuinely open trade. What is more, it would steer Britain away from increasingly dangerous overtures from Communist China – overtures to which the Starmer government still appears worryingly susceptible. This weekend business minister Douglas Alexander visited Hong Kong for trade-linked talks, while the furore over British Steel’s Chinese owner Jingye trying to shutdown blast furnaces at Scunthorpe continue to blaze back home. Beijing’s tentacles reach deep into Britain’s strategic assets in all manner of areas from green energy to nuclear power and utilities. Yet the Starmer government seems more interested in striking deals with the enemy in the East while it should be concentrating all efforts on its most powerful ally in the West. The economic benefits from a potential zero tariff agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom would give the UK a huge strategic advantage over its EU competitors – and that’s before we even consider the huge political advantages this would have for Britain, with a privileged position in working with Washington that would be the envy of Paris and Berlin. A trade deal would also further strengthen the already deep-seated military, defence and intelligence relationships between the US and UK, and cement the most powerful bilateral partnership of the modern era. I met Donald Trump during his first presidency and have seen first-hand his admiration for Britain. He’s the most pro-British president since Reagan, and an enormous fan of Brexit. Trump is the most powerful Brexiteer in the world today, and recognises that sovereignty and self-determination are vital to the future of Europe. Downing Street says talks on a trade deal have been productive, but I see another danger: the Prime Minister cannot help his love affair with Brussels which could yet jeopardise everything. Yesterday Bloomberg reported that British officials are indicating to their EU counterparts they might be prepared to accept regulatory alignment on some EU rules for food and drink, as well as allow the oversight of the European Court of Justice, in order to ease trade friction. This will not go down well with Trump who scorns the EU and its protectionist, dysfunctional ideology – both when it comes to trade and politics. He has thrown down the gauntlet to the European Commission because, in his view, the EU ‘was formed in order to screw the United States’. It is true that Trump’s announcement of tariffs against the EU and dozens of countries from Asia to Latin America sent shockwaves across the world. But his ensuing declaration of a 90-day pause on those tariffs has stabilised global markets, and prompted at least 75 nations to seek negotiations with the United States, in a sign to my mind that his strategy is working. His administration will also soon embark on an ambitious programme of tax cutting and deregulation of the US economy, which will boost growth and job creation. Trump wants to see a level playing field between the United States and Europe, and an end to the EU’s trade barriers. In several crucial areas, including automobiles and agriculture, the EU discriminates heavily against US producers. At the end of the day he wants to see real free and fair trade with America’s European allies. Unfortunately for the EU, it is led by arrogant and delusional officials such as Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who appears determined to fight a disastrous trade war with the US that could potentially sink the EU’s economy. Keir Starmer must be smart in these circumstances and get this deal over the line – and be aware, too, that he must give something in return. And that includes a fully opened British market for US exports. For too long, he has flirted with both the US and the EU, previously stating he is ‘not choosing’ between the two. He now must pick a side – and, with this offer of a deal, that side must be the United States. If Starmer chooses to align himself and Britain with the unelected and out of touch ruling elites of the European Commission instead of with the elected and fully accountable government of the United States he will be making a huge mistake. In the next four years the world’s superpower will be embarking upon a massive agenda of economic revitalisation, involving a wave of tax cuts, the elimination of vast amounts of red tape and regulation, the securing of America’s borders and the biggest drive in the post war era to bring jobs back to the United States. In contrast, the EU offers higher taxes, ever increasing levels of government spending, expanding layers of bureaucracy, and growing powers for Brussels at the expense of nation states. While the US will see an economic renaissance based upon growing economic freedom and competitiveness, the EU looks to a future of socialism, supranationalism, steep decline and rampant mass migration. I am in no doubt that my former boss Lady Thatcher would have strongly encouraged the British Prime Minister to strike a deal with the US, one that would greatly benefit the British people. The Iron Lady loved the United States and believed the Special Relationship with Washington must lie at the very heart of British foreign policy and strategic thinking. She would have mightily cheered Brexit and have urged her successors in Downing Street to work closely with President Trump to secure the best deal possible for both sides. Her message to the British PM would be simple: show some backbone, stand close to the Americans, and stop kowtowing to the EU. Sir Keir is no Margaret Thatcher, and his Labour government has been disastrous on many fronts. But it has an opportunity now to do what is right for the people of the United Kingdom. And that means delivering on the tremendous opportunities that Brexit offers, and strengthening the partnership with a president who is serious about doing a deal with a nation he deeply respects and trusts. Nile Gardiner is a former aide to Margaret Thatcher and is based in Washington, DC