In June 2019, Sir Keir Starmer wrote of his two least favorite people in global politics: “Donald Trump’s support tells you all you need to know about what’s wrong with Boris Johnson’s politics and why he’s unfit to be prime minister.” minister.”

The same month, he railed again: “Humanity and dignity. Two words President Trump doesn’t understand.”

At the time, Theresa May was prime minister, Jeremy Corbyn was leader of the Labor Party and Sir Keir was already in talks about taking the crown if his party lost the election.

His tweets were thus designed as an innocuous gesture to increase his appeal to Labor supporters who might unite around a common political enemy.

Needless to say, they were not intended to have a lasting diplomatic legacy.

As if that wasn’t weird enough…

Sir Keir’s now foreign secretary was even less diplomatic. David Lammy, who stood out of the Corbyn era and was unaffected by restrictions on the front bench, said in 2017 that Trump supported a “fascist, racist, extremist hate group”.

Addressing the then-president directly, Lammy said: “You are not welcome in my country and my city.”

These two men must now hope that these outbursts are long forgotten and that they can work with one of the most capricious, unpredictable and arrogant politicians on the planet.

Repairing that breach has been one of Lammy’s main tasks since his appointment as shadow foreign secretary in November 2021.

repairing relationships

Lammy is no stranger to US politics, having spent his childhood summers in New York before attending Harvard Law School. He has gone into opposition at least five times, prioritizing relations with Republicans.

Republicans’ Rolodex now includes Robert O’Brien, the fourth and final national security adviser in Trump’s first presidency; Former secretary of state Mike Pompeo; and Elbridge Colby, who could head into the defense department or security job upon Trump’s return to power.

Such was Lammy’s success; He was attracted to Colby, a China hawk thought to have a natural affinity with the Tories. He recently gave a remarkable interview to The Telegraph showing that some real progress has been made.

“I noticed that Lammy was making a real effort to reach conservatives and the new right in the United States,” Colby said. “I liked what I heard from Lammy and (Defence Minister John) Healey.”

As for Lammy’s past comments, they too were excused.

‘Gesture of friendship’

There’s also Trump’s choice of vice president JD Vance. Lammy had first met him long before Trump was named number two; Ironically, both were once Trump critics, had ties to their own books, grew up in tough places, and became lawyers.

The challenge will be to turn that connection into something more meaningful, with the most unpredictable characters returning to the White House in January, but the last two months have shown just how unpredictable relationships can be.

The summit was a two-hour dinner with Trump, Starmer and Lammy at Trump Tower in September, which a British official said was seen as a “gesture of friendship”.

The low point was the publicity around Labor’s campaign effort on behalf of the Democrats; dozens of party figures were trying to block Trump’s victory; This was an effort weaponized by the candidate himself, with his campaign taking legal action.

What happens next?

However, global issues and the influence of US domestic politics can still disrupt global relations.

There has been much thought on how the UK and EU countries will deal with potential threats to NATO and Trump’s handling of Ukraine.

In Whitehall, they are clinging to the idea that Trump’s love of deal-making might mean he puts pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin rather than walking away.

Where the UK feels less prepared is the looming trade war, with Trump threatening to impose 10% tariffs on goods imported into the US.

While manufacturers have pleaded with business ministers to take the threat seriously, some Labor MPs think a Trump win would mean a material hit to GDP growth.

Economic and global turmoil is never cost-free, but Starmer hopes his government has done what is practically possible to provide some insulation.

They will soon find out if it works or not.