David Miliband: Europe and US need ‘separate bedrooms’ but not divorce

What Happened

David Miliband, former UK Foreign Secretary and current president of the International Rescue Committee, stated at the Hay literary festival on Sunday that Europe should maintain "separate bedrooms" from the United States rather than pursue a complete "divorce" from the transatlantic alliance. Miliband's remarks address the strain on US-European relations under the Trump administration, advocating for strategic autonomy while preserving core alliance structures. He warned that complete disengagement carries the potential "for us to end up in a very, very difficult position," suggesting Europe must balance independence on certain policy areas with continued cooperation on fundamental security and diplomatic issues.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

Miliband's intervention reflects a broader European debate over transatlantic relations as Trump-era policies challenge post-World War II alliance structures. The "separate bedrooms" formulation captures the tension between European calls for strategic autonomy—particularly on defense spending, trade policy, and China relations—and the continued reliance on US security guarantees through NATO. As a former senior UK diplomat now leading a major humanitarian organization, Miliband's position signals concern among transatlantic policy elites that complete decoupling could undermine collective Western leverage on global crises, from Ukraine to Middle East conflicts, while Europe lacks the independent military and diplomatic capacity to replace US engagement.

Watch For

Monitor upcoming NATO summits and European Council meetings for concrete policy shifts toward strategic autonomy, including defense procurement decisions, EU-US trade negotiations, and coordination on China policy. Watch whether European governments increase defense budgets and joint military capabilities as hedges against US unreliability, or whether the alliance framework remains intact despite rhetorical distance. Track statements from other former senior officials and current European leaders on transatlantic relations as indicators of whether Miliband's "separate bedrooms" framing gains traction as a middle path between full alignment and rupture.