Latest news with #UKrelations
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EUAN McCOLM: Ignore the urge to stick two fingers up to Trump, deploy some 'necessary hypocrisy' and welcome him to Scotland, Mr Swinney - it's your duty
John Swinney was perfectly clear. So far as the First Minister was concerned, the UK should not be rolling out the red carpet for a state visit from US President Donald Trump. Days after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met Mr Trump at the Whitehouse, Mr Swinney said the invitation should be revoked. The US President was not, said the SNP leader, a 'steadfast ally'. The nationalists' leader at Westminster, Stephen Flynn MP, was even more direct, saying it was time for Mr Starmer to 'get back up of his knees' and withdraw the offer of bells-and-whistles visit. Both Mr Swinney and Mr Flynn lashed out after a meeting between Mr Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky during which the US president harangued his counterpart. There is no question in my mind that Mr Trump and his Vice President JD Vance behaved disgracefully during that Oval Office summit. Their attempts to humiliate Mr Zelensky made them look the small men they are. And so the instinct to stick two fingers up to the American President is, I think, perfectly understandable. But what good would withdrawal of that invitation have done? How would that have advanced the cause of the Ukrainian people or benefitted the UK? (Those calling for the cancellation of a state visit might, had their demands been met, have enjoyed a dopamine-rush of self-righteousness, I suppose.) It now emerges that, in advance of the state visit in September, Mr Trump will be in the UK later this month. The President will meet both Sir Keir and Mr Swinney during a trip to his Aberdeenshire golf resort. While the First Minister greets Mr Trump, other Scottish MSPs will be protesting his presence in the country. During the launch, last week, of his bid to become one the Scottish Green Party's two co-leaders, Ross Greer said he doubted that Mr Swinney would agree to meet either Russian President Vladimir Putin or Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu. 'What,' asked Mr Greer, 'is the distinction between them other than economic power and how do we think history will judge those who tried to treat him like just another world leader?' Leaving aside the far-left's obsession with the judgement of history, why shouldn't Mr Trump be treated, while in the UK, like any other world leader? It is - or certainly should be - possible for a politician to deprecate the actions of the petty and vindictive president while maintaining a clear-eyed view of the bigger picture. And that bigger picture is one in which - although the present occupant of the White House may not be to one's taste - the USA remains a key democratic ally to the UK. Some years ago, I attended an event in Edinburgh at which former US President Barack Obama delivered a speech in which he spoke of the complexity of political relationships and decision making. Sometimes, he said, leadership involved a degree of 'necessary hypocrisy'. To the rigid ideologue, such a concept is difficult to grasp. Armed with the certainty that he - and only those who agree with him - are in the right, he attacks those who do not share his worldview. From the moral high-ground, the view is not at all clear. Rather, it is clouded by the prejudices or, if one is feeling charitable, convictions of the person standing there. When John Swinney and Stephen Flynn spoke out against a state visit for President Trump, they gave voice to the instincts of many. The disgusting treatment of President Zelensky during his White House visit remains a stain on the USA's reputation. But politicians are not elected to give voice to our personal - or, indeed their own - prejudices but to advance the interests of the country. And, I do not see how it would benefit the UK - including Scotland - for either Sir Keir Starmer or Mr Swinney to pick an unnecessary fight with Mr Trump. The SNP has form when it comes to the childishly inept handling of international relations. Last August, Mr Swinney was invited to meet Israel's deputy ambassador to the UK, Daniela Grudsky. Unable to attend, the First Minister sent external affairs secretary Angus Robertson in his stead. Mr Robertson - as he should have - greeted Ms Grudsky warmly and happily posed for photographs with her. Then came the backlash from within the SNP. There were calls from nationalists for Mr Robertson to be suspended from the party. SNP backbencher Christine Grahame, said her constituents were shocked the meeting had happened, and described Robertson as 'a liability' while minister Ivan McKee told the BBC that his colleagues should reflect on what he had said during the meeting. As the backlash grew, Mr Robertson humiliated himself. With the benefit of hindsight, he said, the meeting - which included discussions about rising antisemitism, renewable energy cooperation, and culture - should have gone played out differently. 'No one,' said Mr Robertson, 'intended that this meeting be presented as legitimatising the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza. The Scottish government has been consistent in our unequivocal condemnation of the atrocities we have witnessed in Gaza.' The external affairs secretary went on to say that it 'would have been better' to ensure the meeting had been strictly limited to the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. 'I apologise,' he said, 'for the fact this did not happen.' Mr Robertson is a rarity among senior SNP politicians in that he has some grasp of the complexity of international relations. He is, by nature, a pragmatist; he went to that meeting with Ms Grudsky, enthusiastically, because he understood it was the right thing to do. Mr Robertson's apology was an embarrassment to him and Scotland. It should hardly need stating that taking meetings with foreign presidents or ambassadors does not mean support for the positions they hold. Rather, it displays the necessary willingness to engage with the world as it is rather than as one might hope it to be. When Donald Trump visits the UK later this month, John Swinney should smile, shake his hand, and make the case for US investment in our country. That is his duty. It is not in the best of interests of either the UK - including Scotland - or Ukraine for posturing politicians at Holyrood to make the presidential visit about their personal feelings.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump shrugs off Farage's call for parliament to be recalled so he can address MPs during state visit
Update: Date: 2025-07-15T07:36:04.000Z Title: Donald Trump Content: Good morning. has given an interview to the BBC's chief North America correspondent, Gary O'Donoghue, and, while the most important lines are about Russia, it contains some interesting snippets about the UK. Trump is making an unprecedented second state visit in September and yesterday a mini Westminster row broke out about the timing of the trip (starting just after the Commons starts its conference season recess), and the fact this means Trump isn't being invited to give a speech to MPs and peers. No 10 implied yesterday that this was just a scheduling coincidence – and nothing to do with the fact that some parliamentarians are bitterly opposed to hosting Trump, who is widely reviled as a threat to American democracy. Yesterday Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, said (to GB News, of course) that parliament should be recalled so that Trump could get the chance to speak in the Royal Gallery or Westminster Hall (the venues normally used for these events). But, when O'Donoghue asked Trump about this, he discovered that the US president doesn't agree with Farage, and isn't bothered about the prospect of not getting the President Macron treatment. Asked if he would like parliament to be recalled so he could make a speech there, Trump replied: I think let them go and have a good time [ie, let MPs have their recess]. I don't want that to … Asked what he wanted to achieve from the state visit, Trump said: I think just we I want to have a good time and respect to King Charles because he's a great gentleman. We have not heard Farage's reaction yet. His X feed still has this video near the top, featuring the Reform UK leader calling for the recall of parliament. Parliament must be recalled for 's state visit to the does @Keir_Starmer think Macron is a better friend of Britain than Trump? Trump's response suggests Farage might be less in touch with the views of the president, and the Maga movement, than he sometimes claims. And, given Trump's unpopularity in the UK generally, it is probably not wise for Farage to appear even more sensitive to any slights to Trump's dignity than the man himself. I will post more from the interview soon. Here is the agenda for the day. 9.30am: Keir Starmer chairs cabinet. 9.30am: Rachel Reeves, chancellor, announces a package of reforms to financial services in Leeds. 9.30am: James Cleverly, the former Tory home secretary, gives a speech to the IPPR thinktank. 9.30am: The Department for Work and Pensions publishes universal credit claim figures, including for the first time details of foreign nationals getting UC. 10am: Sir Adrian Montague, chair of Thames Water, and Chris Weston, its chief executive, give evidence to the Commons environment committee. 10.15am: Richard Hughes, chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility, and colleagues give evidence to the Commons Treasury committee about the OBR's fiscal risks report. Noon: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing. After 12.30pm: MPs start debates on two Tory opposition day motions. The first one calls for the two-child benefit cap to stay, and the second one calls on the government to commit to uprating tax thresholds in line with inflation and to rule out new taxes on savings, homes and pensions. Also today, the Department for Education is publishing new guidance on sex education. If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (normally between 10am and 3pm at the moment), or message me on social media. I can't read all the messages BTL, but if you put 'Andrew' in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word. If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @ The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary. I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can't promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.
CNN
20-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
With an estimated $400M net worth, what might happen to Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' assets if convicted?
Vertical Top News 12 videos What to know about England's new Brexit 'reset' deal with EU The United Kingdom and the European Union have agreed to a landmark deal aimed at 'resetting' their post-Brexit relationship, but not everyone's thrilled. Is the deal a sign of Brexit regrets? CNN's Max Foster breaks it down. 00:50 - Source: CNN Collins asks Trump about meeting with Putin CNN's Kaitlan Collins asked President Trump in the Oval Office today whether he thinks meeting with Russian President Putin is necessary for peace with Ukraine. 00:45 - Source: CNN Mexico town mourns sailors' deaths in Brooklyn Bridge crash Adal Jair Maldonado Marcos and América Yamilet Sánchez were members of the Mexican navy aboard the Cuauhtémoc when it struck the Brooklyn Bridge, killing both the cadet and sailor. Reuters spoke to the mayor of San Mateo del Mar, in Oaxaca, Mexico, where Marcos' hometown is mourning the tragedy. 00:49 - Source: CNN New video shows minutes leading to Mahmoud Khalil's arrest New footage appears to show the minutes leading up to the arrest of Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil. The video, first obtained by CNN was secured by Khalil's legal team through a subpoena of Columbia University and shows an interaction between Khalil, his wife and immigration officers. Khalil has been in custody since March. He played a prominent role in helping organize protests against the Israel-Hamas war on the Columbia campus last year. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the activist is deportable because his 'beliefs, statements or associations' would compromise US foreign policy interests. 01:37 - Source: CNN What happened during Trump and Putin's call Monday's phone call between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and President Trump marked a turning point in peace talks to end the war in Ukraine. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh lays out what might come next. 01:28 - Source: CNN Witnesses testify on Diddy's alleged abuse of Cassie Ventura Two corroborating witnesses were called to verify Cassie Ventura's claims that she was abused throughout her relationship with Sean 'Diddy' Combs. These witnesses were Dawn Richard and Kelly Morgan, Ventura's former best friend. 01:55 - Source: CNN Putin speaks post-phone call with Trump Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to reporters about Russia's position on its war with Ukraine after the president's earlier high stakes phone call with US President Donald Trump. 00:33 - Source: CNN North Korea abruptly closes border after welcoming Western visitors North Korea is refusing to issue new visas just weeks after letting foreign social media influencers inside the country. CNN's Will Ripley reports. 02:42 - Source: CNN California fertility clinic damaged in explosion At least one person is dead and four others injured in a Palm Springs, California, explosion outside a fertility clinic, according to the FBI's assistant director in charge of Los Angeles' field office. CNN's Jessica Dean reports. 00:47 - Source: CNN Rare dust storm blankets Chicago The Chicago skyline disappeared momentarily as a wall of dust blew through the city. The National Weather Service attributed this to 60 to 70 mph winds that blew over dry farmlands, collecting dust and blowing it through the Chicago area, according to CNN affiliate WBBM. 00:32 - Source: CNN New book reveals 'shocking' claim that Biden didn't recognize Clooney President Joe Biden did not recognize George Clooney when he arrived for a record-breaking June 2024 fundraiser the movie star was co-hosting, according to a forthcoming book from CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios' Alex Thompson. 01:06 - Source: CNN
