The use of this slogan, borrowed directly from the man about to become US president for the second time – and also repeated in a Fox News opinion piece by Starmer’s pick for US ambassador Lord Mandelson – was seen by diplomatic observers as deliberate.
This was designed to show Trump, who has expressed concerns about underspending of European Nato countries on defence, and has repeatedly dropped hints about pulling the plug on Ukraine, that the UK and its EU neighbours can provide a bulwark against Russia.
Significantly, Lammy was sent out to represent the Government on the morning of Trump’s inauguration by appearing on the agenda-setting 8:10am slot on BBC Radio 4’s flagship news programme, Today.
Lammy’s relations with the new president himself, and his vice president JD Vance, are well-established after the Tottenham MP spent time in opposition building contacts with that team.
Yet, in recent weeks the Foreign Secretary has toughened his language about some aspects of Trump’s foreign affairs strategy – suggesting the next four years are not going to be a smooth ride.
In his confirmation hearing last week, Rubio underscored how China will be the main foreign affairs priority of the second Trump administration, saying the US will “have to deal” with Beijing invading Taiwan before the end of this decade.
But diplomatic insiders insist there is no conflict between the UK and US approach towards China, given how often the British Government repeats its mantra that it will “challenge” as well as compete and cooperate with the regime.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping of China at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in November (Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA)Starmer has strengthened the UK’s relations with President Emmanuel Macron’s government in France, and following the PM’s visit to Kyiv last Thursday he travelled to Poland, one of the most important European nations for defence, where he and Prime Minister Donald Tusk signed a new bilateral security treaty.
He said: “I think this is all about sort of creating a leadership grouping within Europe, probably in addition to Nato, to try and weather the expected unpredictability of Trump in the next four years.
“I see Europeans now basically doing four years of Trump contingency planning in a two-month transition window. There was not much ahead of the election.
He added: “Whether it’s designed that way or it’s just a product of this trip … if Trump takes notice of it, there will be an element of him saying, ‘Yes, you know, the Europeans are scared of what I’m going to do, the Europeans are getting their act together’.
But there have also been recent diplomatic efforts to remind the incoming president and his administration that the war in Ukraine – which Trump has previously claimed he can end in a day before watering this down – matters to global stability.
She added: “This reckless behaviour is not just a significant concern for Ukraine’s security, it is a concern for us all.”
Under the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary, the British Government has taken a much more critical approach to Israel.
But Lammy is also understood to be hopeful of Trump revitalising his Abraham Accords, which had begun to normalise Israeli relations in the Middle East, as well as a possible track for a two-state solution.
Yet, there are also signs of the Starmer Government trying to placate Trump on the foreign policy agenda – last week Downing Street announced that the deal with Mauritius over the Chagos islands would be put on hold to allow the incoming president to review it.
Westmacott has told a forthcoming edition of Politico’s Westminster Insider podcast: “My view is that what will matter – more with this president-elect than most others – is to establish early on a relationship of trust and mutual respect.
“And when you don’t, stand your ground, marshal your arguments, avoid special pleading but try to cast your differences in ways which reflect what’s good for America as well as what’s good for the UK. Never forget that this president will be, above all, transactional.”
Defence
Despite Trump’s rhetoric over the past couple of years of suggesting a withdrawal of support for Ukraine, insiders are more hopeful that there will be a difference between the man as campaigner and as second-term president.
They added: “My impression is that they understand the need to show strength to Russia. If you want to get the deal, then you need to ensure the other side, you know, has a reason to come to the table and right now we see no sign that President Putin feels the need to come to the table.”
The UK Government is less keen to discuss peacekeepers in public, however, because it risks giving too much away to the Kremlin about the West’s plans.
He said: “Nato can’t do it because Putin would never agree to Nato forces within Ukraine.
“This situation is just completely different and almost needs a bespoke solution, because any European forces that go into Ukraine, if a war happens between Nato and Russia, those forces would immediately need to turn to combat and effectively assault the Russians from the south.
“And again, the Russians are not going to agree to that, and even if they did, are the Europeans going to agree to that and take forces away from Eastern Europe, I’m not sure… this is totally uncharted territory.”
The incoming president said earlier this month Nato countries should be spending 5 per cent of GDP, to which Nato secretary general Mark Rutte responded by saying its European members should aim for “north of 3 per cent”.
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte (l) is accompanied by UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy on a visit to Downing Street in October (Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty)An MoD source stressed that the “US is our closest ally and our close defence relationship will continue”, adding: “On spending, we all recognise defence spending needs to increase and we’ve got a cast iron commitment to hitting 2.5 per cent”.
Trade
Ministers are more hopeful of a smoother ride with the incoming US trade chief, Jamieson Greer, who has previously suggested he would be in favour of striking a deal with the UK despite Trump’s threat of tariffs on a string of countries.
Donald Trump’s nominee for United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer (Photo: Benoit Tessier/Reuters)There has already been some contact between both teams on an unofficial level.
A favourable deal with the US would be crucial for Labour’s growth plans, but observers have pointed out the difficulties of the UK trying to balance new trading relationships with both Washington and Brussels.
Mandelson’s start date in Washington has not been set – it had been expected shortly after Trump’s inauguration, but the Labour peer himself told Times Radio earlier this month that there was a lot of “bureaucracy” around the post to wade through.
He added: “As only two western countries on the planet with trillion-dollar tech sectors, we must do more together to invent, develop and industrialize the technologies of tomorrow.”
Alexander told Radio 4 last week: “We are open to conversations both in relation to the reset with Europe, which continues to be a priority for the Government, and of course we want to look at ways we can deepen our partnership with the United States and with other major trading economies.
“You need to differentiate candidate Trump from president Trump, let’s see what he says and indeed what he does when he’s inaugurated next Monday.”
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