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When David Lammy is asked astir the caller government's relations with the incoming US administration, helium likes to speech astir the meal helium and the premier curate had with Donald Trump successful New York past September.
"We had a precise bully meal," the overseas caput said connected Thursday. "We had a agelong clip to sermon the issues. He was an highly gracious host, precise affable, precise lukewarm so astir our large country."
And passim a bid of media interviews, briefings and a code astatine the Foreign Office, Lammy talked up UK-US relations, adjacent daring to talk of a "special relationship", a operation mostly avoided by diplomats connected some sides of the Atlantic.
The UK and the US, helium said, were "required to enactment precise intimately together" connected planetary challenges.
They see challenges specified arsenic the wars successful Europe and the Middle East and what helium called "the increasing problems successful Sudan". He cited the "close cooperation" betwixt some countries connected subject and quality matters.
But what was striking was however acold the overseas caput was consenting to situation Trump lone days earlier his inauguration.
The president-elect's refusal to regularisation retired subject enactment against Greenland was, Lammy said, an illustration of his "destabilising" rhetoric. He said Trump was focused connected Arctic information but specified an onslaught by 1 subordinate of Nato connected different was "simply not going to happen".
He said Trump was close to inquire Europe to bash much to support itself but questioned his telephone for Nato members to walk 5% of their nationalist income connected defence, noting the US was itself spending lone 3.38 %.
Speaking connected BBC Radio 4's Today programme earlier successful the day, Lammy had formed uncertainty connected Trump's run committedness of a speedy ceasefire successful Ukraine.
"I spot nary grounds that Putin wants to travel to the array to negotiate," helium said.
"I deliberation the indications are, from what I've seen implicit the past fewer days, a flimsy pushback connected this consciousness that someway a woody volition beryllium achieved connected 21 January, I deliberation that's present unlikely. And we're proceeding that really the timetable's moved down somewhat towards Easter."
Lammy played down the power of Elon Musk, the affluent state of Trump who successful caller days has personally attacked British ministers connected X. He said the tech brag would person lone a "domestic portfolio" successful the caller medication and his relation had not travel up successful talks betwixt British and Trump officials.
The overseas caput besides emphasised the request to prosecute with China – connected trade, climate, wellness and artificial quality - and urged the state "not to propulsion successful its lot" with Russia. This presumption is astatine likelihood with that held by Trump allies who spot China already arsenic a cardinal subordinate of an anti-Western axis including Russia, Iran and North Korea.
Lammy calls his attack to overseas argumentation "progressive realism". He said this means seeking progressive ends portion accepting the satellite arsenic it is.
When applying this model to Trump, helium said helium volition beryllium guided much by the president-elect's actions than his rhetoric. We shall larn successful coming days however acold the 2 stay apart.
And arsenic for that meal with Trump past autumn, Lammy seldom mentions the information the repast was astir the origin of a diplomatic upset.
He and Sir Keir Starmer were presented with ample plates of Guyanese chicken, somewhat to the dismay of the vegetarian premier minister.
In the nationalist interest, the overseas caput was obliged to devour much chickenhearted that nighttime than helium mightiness person expected.
English (US)