Starmer Met With Trump to ‘Establish a Relationship’

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer holds a bilateral meeting with Crown Prince of Kuwait Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah ahead of addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the United States, on Sept. 26, 2024. Leon Neal/PA Wire

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Thursday for talks ahead of the Nov. 5 U.S. election.

The prime minister said he wanted to meet with Trump because he was a “great believer in personal relationships on the world stage.”

Speaking ahead of his meeting with the former president at Trump Tower in New York City, Starmer said he wanted to “establish a relationship between the two of us.”

“I think it really matters that you know who your counterpart is in any given country, and know them personally, get to know them face to face,” he added.

The prime minister said he intended to meet both candidates, but due to scheduling, has not been able to arrange a similar meeting with Democratic candidate and vice president, Kamala Harris.

Starmer met with Trump while in New York for the UN General Assembly, where he delivered a speech declaring that the UK would return to an era of “responsible global leadership.”

The speech follows a push from Starmer, leading a new Labour government, to create closer ties with the European Union and member states like Germany.

Starmer ‘Very Nice’

Speaking at a press conference before they met, Trump said: “I actually think he’s [Starmer is] very nice. He ran a great race, he did very well, it’s very early, he’s very popular.”

Trump is due to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Trump Tower on Friday. Zelenskyy has been at the UN to promote his plan to world leaders to end the Russia-Ukraine war. The Ukrainian president met with U.S. President Joe Biden and Harris on Thursday, and indicated earlier this week he hoped to share the plan with Trump.

The former U.S. president has signalled throughout his campaign a reluctance to continue to arm and fund Ukraine, indicating under his presidency he would work for a negotiation to end the conflict.

Part of Starmer’s efforts to position the UK as an active global leader has been affirming continued support for Ukraine, telling the UN on Thursday that the UK will “stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

Starmer would not be drawn on how he would respond to potential disagreements on how to go forward helping Ukraine in the event Trump wins. The prime minister said when pressed on the issue ahead of his meeting with the Republican candidate, “I’m not going to speculate on what any particular issues may be the other side of the election.”

The prime minister said that the UK and United States maintain the long-held special relationship, which sits above whoever holds the office of leader of the government in either country.

“The US people will decide who they want as their president, and we will work with whoever is president, as you would expect,” he added.

David Lammy

Also attending the meeting from the British contingent was Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

In 2017, Lammy had called Trump “a racist KKK and Nazi sympathiser,” vowing that he would be ”out protesting on the streets” if the then-president came to visit the UK.

However, in the lead-up to the UK’s July 4 General Election, Lammy struck a different tone, with the then-shadow foreign secretary saying a Labour government could work with Trump if he wins the U.S. presidential election.

Former president Donald J. Trump speaks at Trump Tower in New York City on Sept. 26, 2024. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times

Lammy had said during a trip to Washington in May, “You are going to struggle to find any politician in the Western world who hasn’t had things to say in response to Donald Trump.”

“Where I can find common cause with Donald Trump, I will find common cause,” he added.

Lammy had also appeared to defend Trump’s position on NATO, calling it “misunderstood” and saying at the time that he did not believe Trump meant to abandon the strategy of defending Europe, but that “he wants Europeans to do more to ensure a better-defended Europe.”

Farage Is ‘Great’

Trump had also praised Reform UK leader Nigel Farage for his election performance, saying ahead of his meeting with Starmer:  “I think Nigel is great, I’ve known him for a long time.”

“He had a great election too,” Trump said, remarking that he had “picked up a lot of seats.”

In July, Reform UK won 14 percent of the vote, putting five MPs in the House of Commons, including Farage.

Reform UK has positioned itself as the “real opposition” to the Labour government, with Farage vowing that the party would continue to grow after finally gaining that important “beachhead” in parliament which shows voters that “if you vote Reform, you get Reform.”

Last week, Farage said he was handing over control of Reform UK, as a company and as a party, to the membership in a bid to professionalise and democratise the party.

PA Media contributed to this report.