Keir Starmer UN speech - live: PM meets with Donald Trump for first time at two-hour dinner
Sir Keir Starmer and foreign secretary David Lammyspent time with former president before flying back to UK
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Sir Keir Starmer met Donald Trump for the first time as the two men sat down for a two-hour dinner meeting in New York on Thursday night.
The PM and Foreign Secretary David Lammy met with the former president before flying back to the UK.
Topics discussed included the importance of retaining the close partnership between the UK & US, according to Downing Street.
Earlier, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, the prime minister urged Israel and Hezbollah to agree a ceasefire and for the two sides to “step back from the brink”.
In a speech to world leaders in New York, Sir Keir said: “I call on Israel and Hezbollah: Stop the violence, step back from the brink.”
The 79th UN summit comes as the Middle East teeters on the brink of all-out conflict and the bloody war in Ukraine grinds on.
It follows an intervention at the UN Security Council where he tore into Russia over its actions in Ukraine, saying Vladimir Putin was treating his own citizens as “bits of meat to fling into the grinder” in the conflict.
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Tory leadership candidate Labour most fears revealed
Senior aids have revealed that Labour wants to “avoid” James Cleverly as future Tory leader.
According to the i newspaper, Downing Street officials said it was the former home secretary who they would least like to win the contest.
A Labour party figure said: “I think Cleverly could be a problem. He sounds quite reasonable,” a No 10 aide added: “James Cleverly – that’s who we want to avoid.”
Another government aide said Kemi Badenoch does not represent a threat as the party is “not sure she’d take our votes”.
Hunt warns Reeves against changing fiscal rules to increase borrowing
Former chancellor Jeremy Hunt has claimed that Treasury officials told him higher borrowing could lead to high interest rates.
He was responding to claims that Rachel Reeves is considering to change fiscal rules in an effort to allow more capital spending.
But Mr Hunt warned that “more borrowing means interest rates stay higher for longer”.
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