UK Prime Minister Starmer Congratulates Trump, Discusses Bilateral Ties

Downing Street reported that Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump concurred that the bond between the United Kingdom and the United States is “incredibly strong” and poised to “continue to thrive”. Following the US election, during their initial phone conversation, the Prime Minister extended his “hearty congratulations” to Trump on his “historic victory” and expressed his anticipation of collaborating closely with the President-elect, according to a No 10 spokeswoman. This development occurred after Kemi Badenoch had called on Sir Keir to apologize for “derogatory” remarks concerning Trump, which David Lammy made prior to becoming foreign secretary. During her inaugural parliamentary appearance as Conservative leader, she questioned Sir Keir regarding the potential impact of Trump’s election on UK trade and defence policies. Badenoch inquired whether the prime minister would advocate for an invitation for Trump to address Parliament, but she did not receive a direct response. Downing Street further stated that during their telephone conversation, the two leaders also addressed the Middle East situation, with the Prime Minister “underscored the importance of regional stability”. A spokeswoman added, “The leaders fondly recalled their meeting in September, and President-elect Trump’s close connections and affinity to the United Kingdom and looked forward to working with one another.” Sir Keir and his foreign secretary had a dinner with Trump in New York in September, marking their first encounter. While in opposition, Lammy had described Trump as a “neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath”; however, since assuming his government role, he has endeavored to foster improved relations with the president-elect and his associates. Previously, the Prime Minister’s spokeswoman was questioned about whether Lammy would retain his position throughout the current Parliament given his previous statements, to which she responded: “Yes, he is the foreign secretary.” During Prime Minister’s Questions, Badenoch highlighted the US as the UK’s largest individual trade partner and cautioned the prime minister that he would need to “look after the special relationship”. She noted a “risk of increased tariffs on UK exports” and inquired if he would resume discussions on establishing a free trade agreement with the US. Despite UK ministers’ eagerness to secure a trade deal with the US since departing the European Union, progress has been minimal. Throughout his election campaign, Trump had committed to significantly raising tariffs on foreign exports. In response to Badenoch, Sir Keir stated: “Of course we will discuss issues of our economy with the president-elect, as we already have done.” Subsequently, Chancellor Rachel Reeves informed Members of Parliament on the cross-party Treasury Select Committee that the UK’s trade ties with the US were “crucial”, and she was “confident those trade flows will continue under President Trump”. She further remarked: “[He’s] been President before, we continue to have a good and strong economic relationship… I’m optimistic about our ability to shape the global economic agenda.” Regarding defence, Badenoch reiterated Trump’s calls for European nations to boost their defence expenditure and pressed the prime minister to align with her party’s pledge to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030. Sir Keir reaffirmed his government’s dedication to the 2.5% target, though without specifying a deadline for its achievement. He also noted that, in contrast to the prior Labour government, the Conservatives had not met this target during their tenure. Furthermore, he criticized the Conservatives for creating a £17bn deficit in the Ministry of Defence’s budget. Labour accused Badenoch of misleading Parliament by inaccurately informing MPs that the “chancellor’s Budget did not even mention defence”. Badenoch’s spokesman maintained that she was not mistaken, asserting that it was “obvious” from the context of her preceding question that “she was referring to the fact that there was no reference to how Labour intend to get to that 2.5%”. During her Budget speech the previous week, the chancellor had stated, “we will set a path to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence at a future fiscal event.” Trump’s electoral win has created divisions among UK politicians. Scottish First Minister John Swinney remarked that Scotland and the US “share many social, cultural and economic links”. He added, “In that relationship, we will stand fast in support of our values of fairness, democracy and equality – ideals that America was built upon.” Badenoch commented: “The world faces many serious challenges and I look forward to our two countries working together to confront them.” Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK and an associate of Trump, declared the president-elect to be a “genuine friend of the United Kingdom” and encouraged the prime minister to “roll out the red carpet” for him, stating, “This is a huge opportunity to be grasped.” Other leaders of UK political parties expressed greater criticism. Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey characterized the election outcome as “a dark, dark day for people around the globe”. He asserted, “The world’s largest economy and most powerful military will be led by a dangerous, destructive demagogue.” He further argued, “Fixing the UK’s broken relationship with the EU is even more urgent than before – we must strengthen trade and defence cooperation across Europe to help protect ourselves from the damage Trump will do.” Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer referred to Trump as “a dangerous bigot, bully, and liar”. She stated, “On this dark day, we stand in solidarity with all US citizens who fear a convicted criminal and a fascist in the White House.” Labour London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who has frequently had disagreements with Trump, indicated that numerous Londoners would experience feelings of “anxious” and “fearful” concerning the implications of the election’s result for democracy, women’s rights, the Middle East, Ukraine, or addressing the climate crisis. North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher provides analysis of the presidential race in his twice-weekly US Election Unspun newsletter. Readers within the UK can subscribe via this link, while those outside the UK can do so here. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Further information on their external linking policy is available.