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Britain may have found its most dramatic route back towards Europe: use its nuclear weapons as a bargaining chip.
A proposal presented to British Prime Minister Andy Burnham would see the UK extend its nuclear protection across more of Europe in exchange for access to the EU’s single market for goods.
The plan does not mean Britain would hand over its nuclear weapons. Instead, it would promise that its nuclear deterrent, the Trident system carried aboard submarines, could also protect European countries outside NATO.
In return, British goods could once again move more freely across the EU, with fewer checks, delays, and extra costs.
The proposal was drawn up by former Conservative MP Nick Boles, who left the party in 2019 over Brexit. It has reportedly been seen by senior government officials but has not been adopted as official UK policy.
Boles wants Britain to lead the creation of what he calls a “European Confederation,” bringing together the EU’s trading system and NATO-style defense commitments. Ukraine, Norway, Switzerland and countries in the Western Balkans could also be invited to take part.
Under the plan, Britain would spend 3.5% of its economy on defense and extend its nuclear umbrella to participating European countries.
The idea reflects growing doubts about how far Europe can continue to depend on the United States for its security. Boles argued that there was no guarantee US President Donald Trump, or a future American president, would defend Europe with the same determination as US territory.
Britain and France are Europe’s two nuclear powers. Supporters of closer cooperation believe a joint British-French deterrent could give the continent greater protection while reducing its dependence on Washington.
For Britain, the prize would be economic.
The EU remains its biggest trading partner despite Brexit. Trade between the two sides reached £859.2 billion in 2025, accounting for more than 45% of all British trade.
British goods exporters have faced additional paperwork, checks and costs since the UK left the single market. Goods exports to the EU in 2025 remained 14% below their 2019 level after inflation was taken into account.
The proposed deal would not take Britain back into the EU, restore free movement, or require it to adopt the euro. It would initially cover trade in goods, giving London some of the economic benefits of closer integration without full membership.
For Cypriots, many of whom study, work, travel, or have family in Britain, it would not immediately bring back the rights that existed before Brexit. However, closer UK-EU ties could eventually make trade and travel simpler and open the door to wider agreements on students, workers and professional qualifications.
Brussels has previously rejected British attempts to secure special access to the single market without accepting its wider rules. That is why Boles is offering something Europe may increasingly value: greater security.
Whether the EU would accept such a trade-off is far from certain. But nearly a decade after the Brexit vote, the direction of the conversation has clearly changed. Britain is no longer debating how far it can move away from Europe but how it might begin moving back.
*Sources: gov.uk, UK Parliament, The Independent
