US ambassador to UK Matthew Barzun: Americans should continue to be in UK despite terror-related worldwide travel alert
American citizens should continue to work, travel and study in Britain despite a worldwide travel alert put in place by the US state department, the US ambassador to the UK has said.
Speaking to City PM this morning at the London Stock Exchange, ambassador Matthew Barzun said: "We need to be smart, and all of us as American travellers overseas should be vigilant, be safe, be smart, and continue to go build business, study abroad, travel abroad, stick up for and exemplify the values that both our countries have been doing for a long time."
The US state department issued the worldwide travel alert last week, saying that Americans needed to be extra aware of the possibility of terror attacks over the holiday season. The warning will remain in effect until 24 February.
The current UK threat level for international terrorism is severe, meaning that a terrorist attack is highly likely, according to MI5.
Barzun would not comment directly on this week's expected vote in the House of Commons over extending the British anti-ISIS bombing campaign to Syria, but said that the US government is "very thankful that the UK has been from the beginning an incredibly valued partner in this coalition on every single line of effort".
"Yes the military line of effort, but also to stop the flow of funding fighters and fanaticism that is a key part of this coalition," he said, adding that the UK has been an "incredibly generous supporter" of humanitarian aid work, and the US and the UK are the "two most generous donors to the humanitarian effort".
The US military first extended its bombing campaign from Iraq into Syria in September of last year.
When asked about Britain's relationship with the European Union, Barzun said that the UK's EU membership is "completely up to the people of the UK, full stop" but added that the US government values Britain being in the EU.
"Of course it's up to the British, and of course we care," Barzun said, adding, "We think the UK makes every organisation that it is part of stronger.
"We see that in the United Nations Security Council, we see that in NATO, just to name two important groups that we're part of with the United Kingdom. And so from our perspective as Americans, we value a strong UK in a strong EU."
Earlier in the morning, Barzun had opened trading at the London Stock Exchange in a ceremony with business secretary Sajid Javid, the government's small business ambassador Baroness Karren Brady and London Stock Exchange chief executive Xavier Rolet, among others.
The ceremony marked a new programme allowing British citizens to join "Global Entry", a scheme which allows pre-screened travellers to skip queues at American airports. UK citizens will be able to sign up to the scheme from Thursday.
Barzun said that including British travellers in the scheme, which is already open to American citizens, was a "tactical and practical" measure to help firms doing business on both sides of the Atlantic.