Bolton wants Britain to leave the EU: Telegraph
U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton said in an interview published in the Daily Telegraph on Friday that the United States wants Britain to leave the European Union as it would strengthen the NATO military alliance and show respect for the result of 2016’s referendum.
“The U.S. preference is for Britain to follow the course of what the people asked for and leave the EU. It is a lesson for everyone in the triumph of democracy,” Bolton was quoted as saying. .
“I think it will help us, Nato in particular, to have another strong and independent country that will help Nato to be more effective,” he added.
Bolton had told reporters in London on Thursday, when asked about Brexit, that the United States had made a success of its own declaration of independence from the United Kingdom.
“[Mr Trump] wants to make a deal with Britain that will leave both of us better off, and free Britain from the regulatory constraints it faces with the EU,” Bolton said.
Boltons’ remarks come a few days ahead of a UK visit by President Trump, who has previously stated his support for Brexit.
The president’s three-day trip, from 3 to 5 June, includes a Buckingham Palace dinner and breakfast with Mrs May, who has hailed the visit as an opportunity for the UK and US “to strengthen our already close relationship”.
Trump has said that he might meet Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage and Conservative MP Boris Johnson — one of the 11 contenders to replace the former UK Prime Minister Theresa May as Conservative leader — during his trip to the UK.
