Wes Streeting follows Ed Miliband in trying to rebuild bridges with Donald Trump’s US government in new ‘charm offensive’ after previous attacks
Wes Streeting followed in Ed Miliband’s footsteps in launching a ‘charm offensive’ against Donald Trump.
The new Defense Secretary is said to be trying to repair Britain’s relations with the US President by rebuilding bridges after the “special relationship” broke down under Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.
Mr Streeting wants to ‘work with’ the President to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and form a global coalition to secure shipping through the commercial trade route.
Both Mr Streeting and Mr Miliband can expect an uphill battle as they have previously publicly criticized Donald Trump and key figures in his government.
In a post on X on Friday night, the Defense Secretary said he had a ‘good first meeting’ with US Secretary of State for War Pete Hegseth.
Mr Streeting wrote: ‘Britain and the USA are our closest defense and security allies. I look forward to working together on our shared security interests, which are vital in an increasingly dangerous world.’
The two reportedly discussed proposals for a conference in London this week that would bring together NATO allies, defense ministers and military leaders from up to 40 countries..
Previously, Europeans had held regular meetings without American leaders, but after a difficult few months the summit would aim to reconcile all parties.
New Defense Secretary Wes Streeting went on a charm offensive after saying in April that UK-US relations were ‘tense’
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband will also try to rebuild the bridges. Within 24 hours of his appointment, he was on his way to meet his US counterpart, Marco Rubio.
Mr Miliband branded the US President a ‘racist’ and ‘misogynist’ in 2018 and claimed he had a ‘strange relationship with Russia’. In April, Mr Streeting described Trump’s social media posts as ‘provocative’, ‘provocative’ and ‘outrageous’
UK-US relations have become increasingly strained since the outbreak of the Iran war earlier this year.
Mr Streeting commented in April that relations between the two countries were ‘tense’.
He described President Trump’s social media posts on Sky News as ‘provocative’, ‘provocative’ and ‘ugly’, following the president’s profane comments about the Iran War, and suggested that the British should ignore his posts.
The then Health Secretary, Mr Streeting, said the US President should be judged ‘by what he does, not just what he says’, and admitted that the Iran conflict had ‘strained’ relations with Mr Trump’s administration.
Andy Burnham’s new Defense Secretary is also said to have discussed defense investment and the UK’s commitment to meeting its NATO commitments.
Mr Streeting has stated that he plans to modernize and reform the Armed Forces in a new era of drone warfare.
He will follow in the footsteps of Ed Miliband, who held his first bilateral meeting with his US counterpart Marco Rubio on Wednesday after being appointed Foreign Secretary by the new Prime Minister.
Mr Miliband flew to the Philippines within the first 24 hours of becoming Foreign Secretary to meet Mr Rubio at the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) foreign ministers summit.
Mr Streeting is said to want to modernize the Armed Forces as Defense Secretary in Andy Burnham’s new government
But the Secretary of State also faces a tough task as she tries to win over Mr Rubio, a close ally of Donald Trump, after his past criticism of the US President.
The ‘Net Zero’ agenda that Mr Miliband doggedly pursued as former Energy Secretary is also anathema to the Trump administration.
And there are concerns in Washington about Mr Miliband’s role in preventing the US from using British bases in attacks on Iran.
Meanwhile, Gavin Newsom, the governor of California and one of Mr. Trump’s fiercest political rivals, risked further complicating matters by heaping praise on Mr. Miliband.
In his first bilateral meeting with Mr Rubio, Mr Miliband is believed to have reiterated his determination to repair the fraying ‘special relationship’ between the US and Britain.
Transatlantic relations were pushed to crisis point with the outbreak of the Iran war earlier this year.
Former prime minister Keir Starmer initially refused to allow US bombers to strike Iran from British air bases, later changing his stance to allow them to be used in ‘defensive’ operations after Tehran launched missiles and rockets into the Middle East.
Mr Miliband was reported at the time to have been instrumental in leading the Cabinet opposition to the use of British bases by the US.
When Andy Burnham later launched his successful bid to unseat Sir Keir, senior officials in Mr Trump’s administration were said to have privately warned the new Prime Minister that appointing Mr Miliband as Chancellor would be a ‘mistake’.
There will also be concerns that undiplomatic comments Mr Miliband has made about Mr Trump in the past will complicate the effort to stabilize transatlantic relations.
Mr Miliband branded the US President a ‘racist’ and ‘misogynist’ in 2018 and claimed he had a ‘strange relationship with Russia’.
She also used an interview with GQ magazine to condemn Mr Trump’s ‘very frightening authoritarian tendencies’ and vowed to join protests against him visiting the UK.
