Contradictions of the UK Foreign and Defence Policy: European Aspect

The article explores the goals and features of Starmer’s Cabinet’s practical solutions, as well as some contradictions in their foreign and defense policies. The setting of tasks, factors of the domestic and international political context, and distinctive features of the strategic thinking of the elites constitute the subject field of the study. The author uses a combined scientific paradigm of realist constructivism to analyze the features of London’s policy in the European arena. The emphasis on the defense element is explained to be down to a set of internal (socioeconomic) and foreign policy factors (request for greater independence of Europe in the defense sphere), including the government’s latest attempts to justify the special foreign policy identity of the UK. The article analyzes the main strategic documents, developments in London-Brussels defense cooperation, including the new UK-EU security and defence partnership, as well as bilateral agreements between the Labor Party and its EU and NATO allies (France, Germany, Poland, Norway, etc.). The author notes that the “NATO First” approach, on the one hand, demonstrates a high degree of dependence on the US and, on the other hand, it limits cooperation between London and the EU on defense issues, fragmenting the security space. It is highlighted that tactical decisions within the European direction create long-term risks for Britain associated with increasing strategic dependence on contradictions between Europe and the US, as well as ensuring competitiveness in the context of economic, geopolitical and technological rivalry with key global players.