Keir Starmer says he’ll keep in touch with Trump after No 10 exit


Ahead of the meeting of Nato leaders on Wednesday, Trump again complained that Nato allies “weren’t there for us” in the US war in the Middle East and criticised the UK for its initial denial of a request to use British bases.

Speaking after the summit, Sir Keir said he believed the alliance was stronger and more united following the gathering.

He said: “All the leaders spoke in the meeting and at the end President Trump summed up and said he was very pleased to welcome the spirit of the meeting and the unity of the meeting.

“And therefore in terms of what’s the outcome here and answering that question ‘Is Nato stronger and more united coming out of this summit?’, then the answer is yes to that. And that really was all of our main purpose.”

Trump described it as a “very successful” summit and said fellow Nato members were “answering the call” to increase defence funding.

He has repeatedly made clear he wants Nato members to contribute more to defence spending in Europe, and has also previously threatened to remove troops from Europe.

Members of the alliance last year agreed to spend 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence and security by 2035.

Trump said: “Some have truly answered the call, and others are making big changes, and will be answering the call. I think I can say, in all cases, they’re going to be answering the call.”

Additional reporting by political editor Chris Mason



Source link