In the wake of the Ukrainian president’s exclusive interview with Sky News, Sir Keir Starmer has said the West must “put Ukraine in the strongest possible position for negotiations so they can secure a just and lasting peace on their terms”.
Monday 2 December 2024 23:00, UK
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The globe-trotting prime minister has hit back at his critics – and cosied up to Donald Trump like never before.
After claims by opponents that he spends too much time abroad, Sir Keir Starmer has insisted his travels are in the UK’s interests.
A reminder: in just under five months as PM, Sir Keir has made 10 overseas trips and spent 26 days out of the country.
To be fair, those trips have included five international summits: the UN, G7, G20, COP29 on climate change and the Commonwealth heads of government.
So it was no surprise that in the luxurious medieval splendour of the Guildhall in the City of London, Sir Keir made the case for clocking up the air miles.
In white tie and tails – unlike Labour predecessor Gordon Brown, who stubbornly refused to change out of his lounge suit – he was addressing the annual Lord Mayor’s Banquet, which dates back to 1502.
As ever on these glittering occasions, when traditionally the PM addresses ambassadors, business chiefs and City grandees about international affairs, the PM’s speech was a world tour.
And, significantly, he began with a charm offensive aimed at Donald Trump – no mention of Joe Biden, incidentally – and rejected claims that the UK should choose between the US and Europe.
Clement Attlee didn’t choose and nor did Sir Winston Churchill, he said. Was he claiming to be the heir to Labour’s hero Attlee? No surprise about that. But Churchill, the Tories’ all-time hero? Really?
In the final section of his speech at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet, Sir Keir Starmer says the government has “already made progress on our reset, arranging regular UK-EU Summits at leader level and a shared ambition to work more closely where necessary, including through a new security pact covering foreign affairs and defence”.
“This is about looking forward, not back,” he says, declaring there will be “no return to freedom of movement, no return to the customs union and no return to the single market”.
“Instead, we will find practical, agile ways to cooperate which serve the national interest.”
The PM says the UK will work “closely with everyone from Italy to Iraq on migration because we know this collaboration works in bringing the criminal gangs to justice”.
On the Middle East, he says: “We’ll work to maintain the peace in Lebanon, end the conflict in Gaza, bring the hostages home and increase the flow of aid to those suffering so terribly in Gaza and in other conflict zones, like Sudan.”
He reiterated his call for the hostages being held by Hamas to be released as well.
On China, Sir Keir says: “It is remarkable that until I met President Xi last month there had been no face-to-face meeting between British and Chinese leaders for six years.”
Concluding his speech, Sir Keir argues the UK “can’t simply look the other way”, and must “engage”.
“I am determined to do that and to keep talking. Because I believe we are stronger when we do.”
By Dominic Waghorn, international affairs editor
Sir Keir Starmer has now for the first time tonight said it was British policy to “put Ukraine in the strongest possible position for negotiations”.
He wants Ukraine to be in a position of strength “so they can secure a just and lasting peace on their terms that guarantees their security, independence – and right to choose their own future” (see previous post).
But make no mistake. This is a significant shift.
Only last month, both Sir Keir and French leader Emmanuel Macron were promising to “support Ukraine unwaveringly and for as long as necessary to thwart Russia’s war of aggression”.
In the summer, his predecessor Rishi Sunak stated British policy on Ukraine was based on the principle that “aggression cannot and will not prevail” while also talking of a just and lasting peace, based on international law and the UN Charter.
If negotiations happen and settle on some kind of compromise, as they always do, Russian aggression will have prevailed to some extent at least.
‘For some, Starmer’s words will be overhasty’
If Russia, as many seem to expect, walks away with de facto control of at least part of the chunk of Ukraine they have taken by force and win a commitment Ukraine will not join NATO for the foreseeable future, Vladimir Putin will have been vindicated at least in part.
His decision to wield naked, unprovoked, brutal aggression against a neighbour will have achieved some of its ends.
That western leaders are now talking about negotiations between Ukraine and Russia will, say critics, be a sign of their abject failure to “thwart Russian aggression”.
The West failed to deter Russia from invading Ukraine, hoping that the threat of “swift, punitive” financial sanctions would suffice. Then it failed to act with sufficient urgency and unity to help Ukraine repel that invasion.
Russia may be reaching the limit of its ability to support a war that it is undoubtedly winning, drafting in North Korean and Yemeni troops to avoid an unpopular second mobilisation of Russians. And with inflation soaring, the Russian economy is creaking.
But US president-elect Donald Trump seems determined to press on and expedite negotiations and other leaders, including Ukraine’s own and now Britain’s seem ready to accept their inevitability.
For some, Starmer’s words will be overhasty. They would prefer Europe hold the line – even if the US is about to walk away from giving Ukraine the military support it’s relied on for two years.
The PM next turns to security, saying there is “no greater responsibility for this government”.
Sir Keir Starmer recalls “walking the streets of Bucha, just outside Kyiv, to bear witness to the true horror of Russia’s invasion”.
“I met people there who had to pick up the bodies of their friends, their family members, civilians killed – many of them handcuffed,” he says.
He goes on to say that Europe faces “a near and present danger with Russia as an erratic, increasingly desperate aggressor, on our continent marshalling all its resources – along with North Korean troops and Iranian missiles – aiming to kill and to conquer”.
“So there’s no question it’s right we support Ukraine,” he says. “But we must also be clear that it is deeply in our self-interest.”
Russia winning would mean Europe is “weakened”, and would allow others to “follow Putin’s example”, further destabilising the world.
“So we must continue to back Ukraine and do what it takes to support their self-defence for as long as it takes,” the PM says.
“To put Ukraine in the strongest possible position for negotiations so they can secure a just and lasting peace on their terms that guarantees their security, independence – and right to choose their own future.”
He also reiterates that his government will “set out a clear pathway to increase spending from 2.3% of GDP today to 2.5%” – but yet again does not hint at when that will be achieved.
Sir Keir goes on to say that it is “vital” for European nations to “step up to protect our shared future”.
More broadly, the PM says: “There is no growth without security – and no security without alliances. So to fix the foundations, we must meet this more dangerous age with an age of deeper alliances.”
Sir Keir’s comments come in the wake of the Ukrainian president telling Sky News exclusively that a ceasefire deal could be struck if Ukrainian territory he controls could be taken “under the NATO umbrella” – allowing him to negotiate the return of the rest later “in a diplomatic way”.
Read and watch the interview here.
Next, Sir Keir Starmer says his government will “rebuild our ties” with Europe in the wake of Brexit.
He hits out at the Tories, saying: “I’m sorry to say the shocking legacy this government inherited in so many areas, from the nation’s finances to the state of the NHS, extends beyond our shores.
“They turned their back on the world, took vital relationships for granted, neglected some allies, and spurned others.
“Our reputation as a trusted, stable, dependable partner was replaced too often with an image of disarray governed by short term political concerns, veering from one extreme to another.”
He points to the Tories rolling back climate measures, our relations with China, what was seen on the world stage about “our commitment to fundamental values like the rule of law”, and “demonising international courts which this country helped to create as ‘foreign’.”
He accuses the Tories of having “actively harmed the national interest”.
“In a more competitive and dangerous world, we can’t take anything for granted,” the PM says.
“We need to work even harder at staying ahead. That’s what the British people deserve – and it’s what they expect of this government.”
But he says there is “still a huge amount of goodwill towards the UK around the world”, and people “want to work with us”.
“We have been welcomed back with open arms,” he says, adding that the UK has “an opportunity now to capitalise on this progress”.
Sir Keir Starmer opens his speech by saying that international politics is now local like “never before”.
“Geopolitics is on our doorstep, shaping our lives in ways nobody asked for,” he says. “Conflicts overseas undermine our security, stir up violence and extremism on our streets and drive up the cost of living.
“Meanwhile, climate change hits economic growth, leaves us exposed to catastrophic flooding and both of these forces drive unsustainable levels of migration.
“It all manifests in a feeling among many that the system isn’t working for them. That it’s time to take back control of our lives, our borders, our livelihoods.”
The prime minister says the public wants “action” and “change”, pledging to “answer them” by “acting at home, absolutely, and also by using our strength abroad”.
He recalls the government of another Labour PM – that of Clement Attlee’s in 1945, which he says had “unmatched” ambition – pointing to creating the NHS, building homes, national parks, and also “NATO – the greatest alliance in history”.
The message the PM wants to deliver here is this: “Against the backdrop of these dangerous times, the idea that we must choose between our allies.
“That somehow we’re with either America or Europe is plain wrong. I reject it utterly.
“Attlee did not choose between allies. Churchill did not choose. The national interest demands that we work with both.”
As the second Trump presidency looms, the PM continues: “Our relationship with the United States has been the cornerstone of our security and our prosperity for over a century.
“We will never turn away from that. We call it the special relationship for a reason. It is written not in some dry, dusty treaty, but in the ink of shared sacrifice.”
This position is “about hard-headed realism”, he says, insisting that a close relationship with the US shared both mutual interests, and national security.
“That’s why, when President Trump graciously hosted me for dinner in Trump Tower, I told him that we will invest more deeply than ever in this transatlantic bond with our American friends in the years to come.”
Sir Keir Starmer is having his first go at the annual prime ministerial speech at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in central London.
The traditional address focuses on foreign policy – so there’s certainly plenty for him to go at.
You can watch live in the stream above or below, and we’ll bring you updates too.
Sir Keir Starmer is not spending his evening relaxing at home with his family – he’s a posh do in Central London.
The PM is attending the Lord Mayor’s Banquet, where he will deliver a speech, expected to focus on foreign policy.
We will bring that to you live on Sky News when it happens, so do stay tuned here in the Politics Hub.
Friday morning saw the sudden resignation of Louise Haigh as transport secretary – the first cabinet departure of the Starmer government.
It came after Sky News reported she had pleaded guilty to a criminal offence related to incorrectly telling police a work mobile phone had been stolen back in 2013.
‘Up to her’
After just under five months in the job, Downing Street was asked today whether she was eligible for severance pay.
The PM’s official spokesperson pointed to long-standing rules that ministers under 65 are entitled to a payment worth a quarter of their annual salary if they don’t get a new role within three weeks.
Whether Ms Haigh would claim the payment is “up to her”, they added.
In opposition, Labour had called for a change in the rules after ousted prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss got £18,660 from their respective resignations, while Kwasi Kwarteng got £16,876 for quitting less than six weeks into his chancellor gig.
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