British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is travelling to Washington this week to take his first steps on the world stage, just days after taking office in an election victory, Le Monde reports.
Starmer, 61, will attend the NATO 75th anniversary summit in the US capital as part of his debut overseas trip since taking office as British leader last Friday, July 5.
The visit will kick off a whirlwind of international diplomacy in Starmer’s first fortnight in office, with Britain also hosting a conference of European leaders next week. Foreign policy expert James Strong told Agence France-Presse (AFP):
It will be an opportunity for him to get to know and meet other leaders and to convey some specific messages.
Britain’s previous Conservative government was one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies, providing money, weapons and military training to help it in the military conflict. Starmer has pledged to continue supporting Kyiv under Labour and is expected to reiterate that pledge in person to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the NATO meeting. Defence Secretary John Healey has already visited Ukraine since last Thursday’s election and Foreign Secretary David Lammy has visited European NATO members.
Labour is committed to the alliance and wants to deliver on the Conservatives’ promise to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, above NATO’s 2% target. “We can expect a lot of talk of business as usual,” added Strong, a lecturer at Queen Mary University of London.
While Starmer will emphasise continuity on major foreign policy issues, he will also seek to demonstrate a reset in relations with allies that soured after Brexit. Labour has promised closer cooperation with European neighbours, including on bilateral deals with France and Germany, as well as agreements with the EU bloc as a whole.
Starmer seeks to improve the relationship
The trip also provides Starmer with an opportunity to build relations with US President Joe Biden and cement the so-called special relationship between the UK and the US.
Starmer’s centre-left Labour Party is more closely aligned with Biden’s Democratic Party than with the Conservatives, which may help. But the trip comes at a tricky time for the US president as 81-year-old Biden is under pressure to allow another Democrat to battle Republican rival Donald Trump in November’s presidential election.
