In a quick-moving political shake-up Keir Starmer reached out to president-elect Trump showing his down-to-earth approach to UK-US ties. The move comes as Britainʼs new government tries to handle its complex relationship with Americaʼs next leader
Foreign Secretary David Lammy finds himself in a tight spot due to his past words: he once called Trump some really harsh names. “lots of people have had things to say“ Lammy told BBC trying to soft-pedal his earlier comments; however his Trump-like posting style might come back to haunt him
Trump will remember
The fix-it work is already in motion. Lammyʼs team has been meeting with Trumpʼs people (showing they mean business)‚ while Reform Partyʼs Nigel Farage – Trumpʼs go-to guy in Britain – could end up having big say in US-UK stuff
The real head-scratchers are about big-picture items:
* Ukraine help might get smaller
* Green-energy plans need re-thinking
* Military team-up could change
* Trade deals need fresh look
UKʼs armed forces have been working as a mini-US army with British officers but that might not work anymore. The whole set-up depends on Americans showing up – and thats not so sure these days. Starmer needs to figure out how to deal with all this while keeping his anti-Trump party members happy
With Trump back in charge UK-US friendship wont break but it needs some work. Starmer has to be smart about it: change plans when needed keep things moving and dont let old arguments get in the way