In Brussels on September 30th America's assistant secretary of state for European affairs, Philip Gordon, warned the Europeans that the Obama administration needed something in return for its punt on multilateralism.

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And Philip Gordon, the U.S. assistant secretary for European affairs, also made it clear that there would be consequences for Britain if it either left the EU or played a lesser role in Brussels.

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Philip Gordon may not be a household name in Washington DC let alone in the UK but as assistant secretary for European affairs he is the most senior official in the US State Department who deals with Europe.

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