getty photosWhen David Lammy is requested concerning the new authorities's relationship with the incoming US administration, he prefers to speak about he and the Prime Minister's dinner with Donald Trump in New York final September.
“We had a very good meal,” the overseas secretary mentioned on Thursday. “We had a lot of time to discuss the issues. He was an extremely gracious host, very friendly, really warm about our great country.”
And throughout a collection of media interviews, briefings and a speech on the Foreign Office, Lammy talked up UK-US relations, even daring to talk about a “special relationship”, a phrase that Largely prevented by diplomats on each side of the Atlantic.
Britain and the US “need to work much closer together” on international challenges, he mentioned.
These embody challenges comparable to wars in Europe and the Middle East and what he referred to as “growing problems in Sudan”. He cited “close cooperation” between the 2 nations on navy and intelligence issues.
But what was surprising was the extent to which the Secretary of State was ready to problem Trump simply days earlier than his inauguration.
The president-elect's refusal to take navy motion towards Greenland is an instance of his “destabilizing” rhetoric, Lammy mentioned. He mentioned Trump was targeted on Arctic safety however such an assault by one NATO member on one other was “simply not going to happen”.
He mentioned Trump was proper to ask Europe to do extra to defend itself, however he questioned his name for NATO members to spend 5% of their nationwide earnings on protection, saying the US itself spends solely 3.38%. is sending.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today program earlier within the day, Lammy solid doubt on Trump's marketing campaign promise of a fast ceasefire in Ukraine.
“I don't see any evidence that Putin wants to come to the table for negotiations,” he mentioned.
“I think the signals I've seen over the last few days suggest that there will be an agreement somehow on January 21, but I think that's not likely now. And we're hearing that actually “The timetable has moved down considerably in the direction of Easter.”
Lammy downplayed the influence of wealthy Trump ally Elon Musk, who has personally attacked British ministers in recent days. He said the tech boss would only have a “home portfolio” in the new administration and his role was not revealed. In talks between British and Trump officials.
The Foreign Secretary also stressed the need to engage with China on trade, climate, health and artificial intelligence and urged the country not to “quit its stake” with Russia. This position contrasts with that of Trump's allies who already see China as a key member of an anti-West axis that includes Russia, Iran and North Korea.
Lammy calls his approach to foreign policy “progressive realism”. He said this means accepting the world as it is and pursuing progressive goals.
When applying this framework to Trump, he said he would be guided more by the President-elect's actions than his rhetoric. In the coming days it will be known how far apart both of them live.
And as for the dinner with Trump last autumn, Lammy rarely mentioned the fact that that meal almost caused a diplomatic upset.
He and Sir Keir Starmer were presented with large plates of Guyanese chicken, which left the vegetarian Prime Minister somewhat disappointed.
In the nationwide curiosity, the Foreign Secretary was obliged to eat extra hen than he anticipated that night time.
With inputs from BBC
