Andrew Neil claims US officials are praising Brexit Britain as it strengthened US-UK intelligence cooperation
Andrew Neil has claimed that US officials are praising Brexit Britain for paving the way to strengthening the US- UK intelligence cooperation.
Mr Neil claimed that Americans were enjoying the fact Britain was able to make decisions about military and intelligence decisions without having to consult the European Union.
The former BBC journalist wrote in his weekly column for the Daily Mail that the US-UK intelligence sharing has become closer since it left the bloc.
READ MORE: Pound surges higher after UK and EU agree Northern Ireland deal
He claimed that US intelligence and foreign policy officials were “lavish in their praise” for the way Britain “unilaterally” extended its world-class cyber warfare capabilities to all of Eastern and Central Europe from the moment Russia invaded Ukraine.
He claimed that he was told by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson about the Aukus deal, the trilateral security pact between the US, UK and Australia.
Mr Neil wrote: “Boris Johnson claimed to me in London last week that the Aukus deal could not have happened if the UK had still been enmeshed in the EU’s common foreign and defence policy ambit.
“I was sceptical. But here in America, U.S. intelligence and foreign policy officials confirmed his claim. Indeed, they went further.
“They said that U.S.-UK intelligence and security cooperation, always close, had become even closer since Brexit. They liked the way they could deal with a Britain that didn’t have to look over its shoulder for an EU response or permission to proceed.
He added: “They were lavish in their praise for the way Britain had unilaterally extended its world-class cyber warfare capabilities (both defensive and offensive) to all of Eastern and Central Europe from the moment Russia invaded Ukraine (something not widely known).
“They admired how London, again unilaterally, had extended Britain’s nuclear umbrella to Sweden and Finland until both can enjoy full Article 5 NATO protection ? to deter Russia from bullying them in the interim.
“‘The Washington foreign policy and security establishment was pretty solidly against…