Starmer confident Trump will back Aukus pact after US launches review
Speaking to reporters ahead of the G7 summit in Canada, the Prime Minister said he did not have 'any doubt' that the agreement would progress.
The trilateral Aukus partnership, believed to be aimed at countering China, involves building a new fleet of nuclear-powered attack submarines and co-operating in other areas of defence.
Australia would also get its first subs from the US under the deal.
Asked what his message to the US president would be on the importance of the pact, Sir Keir, who is due to meet Mr Trump in Kananaskis next week, said: 'Aukus is really important. We're fully committed to it.'
Sir Keir added it was 'not unusual for an incoming government to do a review of a project like that', and that Labour had done similar.
'We, of course, looked into the issue when we came into government.. But I'm 100% committed to it. I'm really clear about that.'
Asked if he was confident Mr Trump would back it, he said: 'Yeah, I think so. It's a really important project. So I don't have any doubt that this will progress.'
Confirming the review on Thursday, the White House said it wanted to make sure the pact was 'aligned with the president's America First agenda.'
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The topic the official didn't mention are the deep tensions set off by Trump's repeated call to absorb the host country. The official did say that 'we appreciate Canada's cooperation in the planning of the summit and their choice of a great location in Canada for these important conversations.' Middle East security, with Israel's attack on Iran's nuclear program and military leadership and Iran firing missiles at Israel, is certain to soak up attention. French President Emmanuel Macron set the tone Sunday with a pointed visit to Greenland – a sprawling Arctic territory that Trump said the U.S. needed to obtain. 'I don´t think that´s something to be done between allies,' Macron said as he met with Danish PM Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen. 'It´s important to show that Denmark and Europe are committed to this territory, which has very high strategic stakes and whose territorial integrity must be respected,' said Macron. As far as the actual bears roaming the G7 meeting spot in Kananaskis next to the Canadian Rockies, local officials have taken steps to avoid further mishaps. Among the security gear they trotted out early this month in advance of the event was a large bear trap. Local students were enlisted to pluck thousands of berries from area bushes so as to lower the temptations that might lure bears to try to crash the confab. That's what happened at the 2002 summit, when security officials used a bear-banger device to try to scare away a bear who got near delegates. It ended up falling out of a tree and dying.
