Back in January, Spartacus argued that Australia should work with the US to drop the UK from Aukus and bring in the Japanese to make Aujus.

Nine months later, I hold that view more strongly than ever, mainly because the US Air Force has kindly supplied more supporting evidence by pulling all 12 of its B-1 bombers out of RAF Fairford.

The WSJ Editorial Board reports the reason for the removal was potentially a feared Iranian drone attack on the aircraft and the Americans on base. Another WSJ piece alleged that the exit was so hasty some bombers took off before airborne refuelling was fully arranged.

When a strategic bomber would rather gamble on fuel over the Atlantic than spend one more night in the UK, that is a statement.

The backstory is a treat, and it starts well before Fairford.

Start with Chagos.

This is the same Britain that proposed surrendering the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The Chagos Islands, for those keeping score, contain Diego Garcia, where the US Navy and Air Force park some of their most important hardware in the Indian Ocean.

The British plan is to give away the land under the American base and then pay rent to borrow it back.

Genius.

Then came Iran.

For the better part of this century, Britain and Europe have insisted that Iran must never have nuclear weapons. There were conferences. There were negotiations. There were strongly worded statements.

Then, the US actually turned up to blow the nuclear program to bits and asked a small favour: could their bombers refuel at RAF bases on the way?

The Starmer government said no.

Yes. That was a no.

The UK spent decades declaring that Iranian nuclear infrastructure should not exist, and when an ally offered to make it not exist, free of charge, London said piss off.

And then Fairford.

In the early hours of September 17, British counterterrorism police arrested five black-clad men driving toward the base. Petrol was allegedly found in their cars. A day later, all five were out on bail, presumably with a stern talking to and a pamphlet on community values.

None of this should surprise. The same WSJ also noted:

‘French intelligence services nicknamed Britain’s capital “Londonistan” decades ago.’

When the French (the French!!!) are calling London ‘Londonistan’, there is definitely a problem.

So here is the picture.

The UK continues its leisurely stroll toward social, economic, and geostrategic suicide. And this is going to be Australia’s long-term security partner.

Australia should not be hitching its economy or its security to any of it, least of all to a partner the Americans increasingly do not trust with their own aircraft.

Canberra should be on the phone to Washington proposing the obvious edit – take the K out of Aukus, put a J in and make it AUUJS. Japan is a serious country that actually lives in the neighbourhood.

The Americans have already voted. Australia should direct their preferences also.

First published on Substack. Read the original here…

The post It’s time to take the UK out of Aukus appeared first on The Spectator Australia.