Keir Starmer scrambles to cosy up to Trump at Nato summit after flip-flopping over backing for Iran raid
Keir Starmer cosied up to Donald Trump at the Nato summit today after the UK's flip-flopping over the Iran bombing raid.
The PM was carefully positioned next to the president for the 'family photo' at the gathering in The Hague.
He also sat alongside Mr Trump for the formal discussions, after insisting that the Special Relationship had not been dented from apparent differences over the strike on Tehran's nuclear sites.
The arrangement will be more pleasing for Downing Street than a group shot from last night, when Sir Keir was seen as having been sidelined.
At the G7 last week the PM publicly insisted he did not believe Mr Trump would go ahead with the attacks, and afterwards pointedly stressed the UK had not been involved and was 'absolutely focused on de-escalation'.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy repeatedly refused to say on Monday that the strikes were the 'right thing to do' and told MPs the issue of British support was not a 'binary question'.
He also sat alongside Mr Trump for the formal discussions, after insisting that the Special Relationship had not been dented from apparent differences over the strike on Tehran's nuclear sites
The US did not ask for permission to use the Diego Garcia based as a staging post, with critics suggesting Attorney General Lord Hermer had warned UK involvement could be illegal.
But Sir Keir tried to shift the stance yesterday as it emerged that a tentative ceasefire deal had been done.
The PM told Channel 5 News yesterday: 'Look, I think what we've seen over the last few days is the Americans alleviating a threat to nuclear weaponry by the Iranians and bringing about a ceasefire in the early hours of today.
'I think now what needs to happen is that ceasefire needs to be maintained, and that will be the focus of our attention, our engagement, our discussions, because that ceasefire provides the space for the negotiations that need to take place.
'It will have to be negotiations … to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon capability and that is very important for safety and security, not just in the region, but more widely.'
Leaders are holding a tense gathering in the The Hague with fears over America distancing itself from the structure that has underpinned world peace since the Second World War.
They are due to sign off a new Nato target for defence spending to hit 3.5 per cent of GDP by 2035 - with another 1.5 per cent on related 'resilience' budgets.
However, some nations have signalled they do not view the level as a hard commitment, while there are questions about where the UK can find the extra £30billion.
Having demanded everyone else sign up to the figure, Mr Trump has suggested the US does not need to meet it.
The summit has been kept shorter than in previous years, amid concerns that Mr Trump either might not turn up or could leave early - as he did at the G7 in Canada last week.
Sir Keir insisted today that Mr Trump is 'absolutely committed to the importance of Nato ' after the president raised doubts about the collective defence principle.
The premier played down alarm about whether US stands by Article 5 of the military alliance after Mr Trump said the meaning 'depends on your definition'.
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