Starmer and Trump discuss Middle East during first phone call
Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman among those also speaking with the US president-elect
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
Keir Starmer has held an early telephone conversation with Donald Trump after the US election in which the pair discussed the situation in the Middle East.
Downing Street said the Prime Minister “underscored the importance of regional stability” as he reflected on the deadly conflict in the region.
During the call Starmer had offered his “hearty congratulations” to Trump after his “historic victory” and said he looked forward to working closely with Trump, Downing Street confirmed.
In his call with the US president elect Benjamin Netanyahu said the pair had discussed the “Iranian threat” as part of a conversation about Israel’s security.
Over the phone on Wednesday, the pair “agreed to work together for Israel’s security” and “discussed the Iranian threat”, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
Saudi Arabian state media also reported that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had spoken to Trump to congratulate him.
While Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson responded to the presidential election result in the US by claiming it was a chance for a new administration to “review the wrong approaches of the past”.
Reuters said Esmaeil Baghaei claimed: “We had bitter experiences with various US governments’ past policies and approaches. Elections are an opportunity to review the wrong approaches of the past. What is important for Iran will be how we evaluate the actions of the US government.”
The Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas also congratulated Trump on his election victory, expressing confidence that he would support Palestinians’ “legitimate aspirations” for statehood.
Meanwhile the Palestinian Authority’s ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, called on Trump to act immediately to intervene in the Middle East conflict, and not wait until he takes office in January.
“There is no time to waste now,” Zomlot said. “And we do not expect president-elect Trump to wait until January.”
While there was no reference to any conversation about Russia’s war on Ukraine when Starmer spoke with Trump on Wednesday evening the two leaders agreed that “from defence and security to growth and prosperity the relationship between the UK and the US was incredibly strong and would continue to thrive for many years to come.”
“The leaders fondly recalled their meeting in September, and President-elect Trump’s close connections and affinity to the United Kingdom and looked forward to working with one another,” a spokeswoman added.
Starmer and his foreign secretary held a dinner with Trump in New York in September, when the pair met for the first time.
Earlier, the PM’s spokeswoman was pressed on whether Lammy would keep his job for the entire Parliament in light of his past comments about the US leader, and he replied: “Yes, he is the foreign secretary.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves also told MPs on the cross-party Treasury Select Committee the UK’s trading relationship with the US was “crucial”, but she was “confident those trade flows will continue under President Trump”.
She added: “[He’s] been President before, we continue to have a good and strong economic relationship… I’m optimistic about our ability to shape the global economic agenda.”
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