Sir Keir Starmer is embarking on a diplomatic blitz this week, starting with talks with Emmanuel Macron in Paris and then the COP29 climate summit in Baku. Back home, NHS bosses have been warned of a pay rise crackdown – and the future of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s in doubt.
Monday 11 November 2024 21:01, UK
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We’re bringing the Politics Hub to a close for another day.
It’s seen Sir Keir Starmer embark on a diplomatic blitz abroad, starting with talks with Emmanuel Macron in Paris – including events to mark Armistice Day.
He then jetted off to Baku for the COP29 climate summit – that kicks off tomorrow, and we’ll bring you live coverage then.
Back home, the Archbishop of Canterbury is under mounting pressure to resign and didn’t exactly get Sir Keir’s backing.
And the health secretary has issued an ultimatum to NHS bosses: improve patient care or say goodbye to any hope of a pay rise.
You can read more on these stories via the key points above – and watch tonight’s edition of Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge below.
See you in the morning.
Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron has warned the government to “protect British farmers” in any future trade deal with Donald Trump’s America.
There have been suggestions Labour could look to take advantage of the president-elect’s relatively positive view of the UK amid fears he will introduce damaging tariffs – potentially by finally pursuing a potential free trade deal.
It was one of the mooted benefits of Brexit that never materialised.
Mr Farron, his party’s food and rural affairs spokesman, told the Commons while Labour had to be “pragmatic” about relations with the Trump administration, any deal should not allow equal access for American producers with “lower standards”.
He said such a deal struck by the Tories with Australia and New Zealand meant British farmers no longer operated on a “level playing field”, and urged Labour not to make the same mistake.
Watch: Will UK avoid Trump tariffs?
By Jon Craig, chief political correspondent
Can a Labour prime minister get on well with a Republican US president? Or a Conservative PM with a Democrat in the White House?
The short answer is yes, absolutely.
There are plenty of examples of a good relationship and close bond between a Labour prime minister and Republican president. And vice versa.
Indeed, some prime ministers and presidents from seemingly opposing political parties have bonded for the simplest or most trivial reasons. Cigars, toothpaste and burgers, for example.
And it’s not always rosy between prime ministers and presidents of the two sister parties. There have been some big fallings out: over Suez, Vietnam and the Caribbean island of Grenada.
But never has a British Labour prime minister faced such special challenges in maintaining the “special relationship” with a Republican president as Sir Keir Starmer does right now.
The next topic our panel discusses is whether Donald Trump should be afforded a state visit when he becomes US president.
Guto Harri, who worked in Downing Street for Boris Johnson, says he has not been quiet in his criticism of Mr Trump – but believes he should be given a proper welcome to the UK.
“I have described him as odious, ridiculous, all the above,” he says.
“However, he is clearly the choice of the American people in a democratic election where the kitchen sink was thrown at him, and he’s emerged.
“And so we welcome him like we welcome everybody else – but more so because we also do have special ties.”
‘Big bromance unlikely’
Sir Tony Blair’s former comms chief, Alastair Campbell, says he expects a visit will happen under Sir Keir Starmer as well.
“I’d be very surprised if there isn’t one sometime in the next parliament,” he said.
However, he said it is hard to imagine Sir Keir and Mr Trump having a “big bromance” – similarly to how there was “no personal chemistry” between the president-elect and Theresa May.
“I think we’ve just got to be grown up about this – Trump is the president, whether we like it or not,” he says.
“It’s always about him, he’s always craving the attention, is always sort of making the weather. And we’ve just got to, you know, keep our own national interest front of mind.”
That concludes our coverage of tonight’s Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge. The show returns tomorrow at 7pm.
The government is committed to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence, but remains reluctant to say when it will get there.
For now, its estimated spend for this year is about 2.3% – including on support for Ukraine.
Speaking in the House of Commons today, the defence secretary said “everyone agrees defence spending must increase to match and deal with the threats we face”.
But John Healey said no timeframe for spending 2.5% – as promised in Labour’s manifesto and in the budget last month – would be set out until the government’s “strategic defence review is complete” in the spring.
Speaking on Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge, former Number 10 spin doctor Alastair Campbell says “we’re kidding ourselves” if we think we can deliver the security Britons have become used to without making defence spending a priority.
Last month’s budget may have been focused on health, but he warns “we’re facing a period of history where defence and security are back on the agenda in a way they haven’t been for some time”.
Fellow former Number 10 communications director Guto Harri says despite the economic challenges, the government has “got to find the money and put it there”.
Referencing the decision to offer public sector pay rises, he says: “There are priorities in government you have to change according to the climate, and I can’t think of the world being more dangerous than at the moment.”
We’ve been speaking to our military analyst Vice Air Marshal Sean Bell about the situation in Ukraine – especially in the wake of Donald Trump’s election victory.
He says that, following Ukraine’s failed spring offensive last year to push Russia back, we are getting close to the end of the road.
“The war chests are largely empty, the West is spinning up,” he says.
“It’s providing a lot of financial support and artillery – dumb weapons.
“But bluntly, there doesn’t seem to be a lot else we can do.
“And despite all the efforts, Russia is still moving forward.
“It is the bigger party here in a war of attrition, it will gradually win.”
Sean says that, in any negotiation to end the conflict, Vladimir Putin has to be “incentivised to bring the war to an end”.
He suggests sending more military aid to Ukraine could be used as a stick against Russia, while a carrot would be easing sanctions.
However, any settlement would need to bear in mind how hostile states like China, North Korea and Iran would react.
Our deputy political editor Sam Coates has followed Sir Keir Starmer from Paris to Baku as the PM embarks on a “big couple of days” of “intensive diplomacy”.
Sam isn’t the only one following Sir Keir around, with the spectre of Donald Trump also on his back after his US election win last week “changed everything domestic and global” for the Labour leader.
‘Mixed messages’ on Ukraine
Top of mind for Sir Keir and French President Emmanuel Macron in talks this morning was the war in Ukraine, something Sam says there have been “mixed messages” on from Team Trump these past few days.
Some around him suggest he may want “an early end to the war”, while there have also been reports of a call between Trump and Vladimir Putin, with the Russian president urged not to escalate the conflict.
But there also remain warnings Trump could cut off funding for Kyiv, and how Europe would react was no doubt a talking point for Starmer and Macron this morning.
PM’s green repair job
As for Baku, that’s for this year’s COP climate summit – and Sam says Starmer’s “one of the few important Western leaders” who’s even bothering to show up.
“He’s going to make the argument that contradicts that of Trump,” says Sam, that it’s “important to continue to invest in green energy to bring down bills in the medium to long term”.
With Trump’s victory and growing net-zero scepticism across an increasingly populist Europe, Sam says there’s a “big and urgent repair job” needed to “bolster the green movement”.
“A big couple of days” indeed for the PM.
There are 70 days until Donald Trump enters the White House, and the international scramble has begun.
Whether on trade, tariffs, or climate change, every nation is trying to position and prepare as much as possible.
And nowhere is this more true than Ukraine.
Trump said he would end the conflict “in 24 hours” if he became president but hasn’t said how or on what terms.
Yesterday, Russia suffered its deadliest day of the war so far, according to figures from Ukraine’s armed forces, while Moscow fired 145 drones at Ukraine – the biggest nighttime attack of the conflict.
How does this war come to an end?
With the clock ticking until Trump is in power, time when it comes to the Ukraine conflict appears to have sped up.
At times, it’s felt like this is a war in a deep freeze, with Ukraine losing slowly and allies like the UK and France promising – as they did again today – “to support Ukraine unwaveringly and for as long as necessary”.
But what there hasn’t been much of is realistic discussion of how this relentless war comes to an end.
There’s been a lot of talk about weapons and military strategy, but what’s the diplomatic strategy? What’s the endgame? And what’s the plan for what comes after?
These are always the difficult questions in war, and always the ones we end up ducking – and pay the price for.
History tells us this, but we don’t seem to learn the lessons.
Our weeknight politics show Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge is live now on Sky News.
The fast-paced programme dissects the inner workings of Westminster, with interviews, insight, and analysis – bringing you, the audience, into the corridors of power.
On the show are two ex-Downing Street communications directors.
We’ve got Guto Harri, who advised Boris Johnson, and Tony Blair’s former media guru Alastair Campbell.
Also on the show is our military analyst Vice Air Marshal Sean Bell, who’ll tell us what Donald Trump might mean for Ukraine.
Watch live on Sky News, in the stream below, and follow live updates here in the Politics Hub.
Watch Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge from Monday to Thursday on Sky channel 501, Virgin channel 602, Freeview channel 233, on the Sky News website and app or on YouTube.
Sir Keir Starmer has touched down in Baku in Azerbaijan for this year’s COP climate summit.
Ahead of it getting under way tomorrow, the prime minister reiterated his government’s commitment to fighting climate change.
“Britain must work with other countries to combat climate change – solving these urgent problems at their root and tackling the causes because our country is stronger when we do,” he said.
Amid a backdrop of populist, climate-sceptic parties making waves in Europe, and Donald Trump’s looming return to the White House, the PM insists the green transition remains worthwhile.
He’ll make the case that goods and services helping the world work towards net zero will be worth £1trn to UK businesses by 2030, while the 640,000 people already employed in Britain’s green economy is a 20% rise from just two years ago.
Sir Keir says working in partnership with private firms, targeting net zero will create “real energy security, helping to reduce energy bills and building jobs and growing the economy”.
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