Keir Starmer has lost the race to become the first European leader to visit Donald Trump in the White House, it was revealed last night.
The PM will be second to France’s Emmanuel Macron, who will see the President three days before him.
The White House confirmed last night the Labour leader will meet Mr Trump next Thursday, after the French president visits him on Monday.
It will come as a blow to No 10 which has been keen to position Sir Keir as a bridge between the US and Europe on defence and trade.
The PM also wants to act as a peacemaker between the US and Ukraine but was told yesterday he will have to show some commitment on defence spending during his first trip to Washington since the inauguration.
Sir Keir has until now refused to say when funding for the Armed Forces will reach 2.5 per cent of GDP, with an announcement long scheduled for the spring.
But he has come under fresh pressure to speed up the decision since the dramatic events of the past week, when the US warned Europe it must shoulder more of the burden for its security and Sir Keir raised the prospect of British troops serving as a peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
And it is thought he may finally reveal his timetable during crucial talks with Mr Trump next week.
Keir Starmer (left) was beaten in the race to become the first European leader to visit Donald Trump in the White House, with Emmanuel Macron (right) winning
President Trump (left) will meet Macron (right) on Monday 24th February, while Starmer will have to wait until Thursday 27th
Former British ambassador to the US Lord Darroch urged the Prime Minister to make an announcement on military funding, saying it was ‘essential’ for him to broach the subject with Mr Trump, who wants Nato members to spend as much as 5 per cent of GDP on defence.
Lord Darroch told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme yesterday: ‘I would hope that he would go with at least the strongest possible language he has on raising UK defence spending.’
He said Sir Keir should also tell the President that: ‘Others are thinking the same thing around Europe as us, that defence spending has to rise, that we cannot anymore rely on America to provide and pay for defence, that the era of Pax Americana is over.’
Lord Darroch, who also served as national security adviser to No 10 between 2012 and 2015, added: ‘He has to be able to say the most forward possible line on that.’
It was reported yesterday that Sir Keir may soon announce defence spending – currently at 2.3 per cent of GDP or £54billion a year – will reach the milestone of 2.5 per cent by 2030.
According to the London Standard, he may even go further and say he wants the figure to reach 3 per cent by 2035.
Nato is currently revising its benchmark for all members from 2 per cent to above 3 per cent.
Labour has so far not said it will raise the extra money needed to reach the existing target.
Trump (pictured) will meet with Keir Starmer next week, where the Prime Minister is expected to lay out his plans to commit on defence spending
When the Tories vowed to reach 2.5 per cent by 2030 during last year’s election campaign, they said it would mean spending reaching £87billion a year by the end of the decade. But the Chancellor insisted yesterday she was ‘absolutely committed’ to reaching the target.
Speaking to broadcasters at Warner Bros studios near Watford, Rachel Reeves said: ‘The world has changed in the past few months and we’re committed to play our part in protecting our UK national security and also protecting the security of Europe too.
‘Given this changed international environment we operate in, we will set out that path to get to 2.5 per cent of GDP. We will do it in the proper way, but no one should be in any doubt about my commitment to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence.’
And another Cabinet minister suggested yesterday that Sir Keir would try to end the escalating war of words between the US and Kyiv when he goes to Washington.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told Times Radio: ‘We are optimistic that despite all of the heat and the raised temperatures of the past few days, having had discussions with the Europeans this weekend, President Zelensky last night and with President Trump next week, that the Prime Minister will be able to take the heat down and bring parties around the table and ensure that we get the solution that we need to defend Ukraine.’
But Mr Trump’s Vice President has said he will repeat to Sir Keir’s delegation his devastating critique of Europe and Britain for abandoning freedom of speech, first made at the Munich Security Conference last week.
JD Vance told The National Pulse website: ‘We certainly will. We’re simply telling them to respect the values on which our civilisation was founded, that you ought to debate with one another, you ought to, you know, your government should respect when the people have a dissenting viewpoint.’
