Cameron and Labour vie for Trump favour

Sir Keir Starmer launches charm offensive with the aim of smoothing relations with former president

THE Labour Party is competing with Lord Cameron to curry favour with Donald Trump and his inner circle, as diplomats ramp up efforts to engage with the former president ahead of the US election.

David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, has held meetings with a series of “Trump world” figures in recent months, in the hope of smoothing relations between Mr Trump and Sir Keir Starmer if both win office later this year.

It comes as Trump insiders have claimed Britain is working harder than any other country to woo the former president. An unnamed British diplomat is said to have repeatedly visited Mar-a-Lago and dined with Mr Trump, US media reported.

Lord Cameron also met Mr Trump at Mar-a-Lago on a visit to the US earlier this month and has dispatched officials from the British embassy in Washington DC to attend his campaign events and connect with his advisers.

Foreign Office insiders have expressed frustration that too little was done to engage with the Republican candidate before he won the 2016 election.

The Telegraph understands Labour has also launched a shadow diplomatic operation to win over Mr Trump’s allies, including on visits by several of Sir Keir’s top team.

Mr Lammy, who is friends with Barack Obama and attended Harvard University, has met with several key figures including Elbridge Colby, a Trump-era Pentagon official, and Mr Trump’s former national security duo, Robert O’Brien and Matt Pottinger.

Labour has also launched a “Congress-first strategy” to build relationships with key Republicans on Capitol Hill ahead of the election, including GOP senators JD Vance and James Risch.

Mr Vance has been mooted as a possible running mate for Mr Trump in November, while Mr Risch is a ranking member of the Senate foreign relations committee.

Mr Lammy, who visited New York on Friday, has been to the US six times since he was appointed to his shadow cabinet role by Sir Keir in 2021.

His team has held briefings on the Labour Party’s foreign policy with more than 20 Republican congressional offices, and has emphasised support for the US and the Nato alliance.

Mr Lammy recently outlined his ideas for the Foreign Office in an article for Foreign Affairs magazine – a decision sources say was designed to put his views in front of congressional Republicans – and publicly stated he would be happy to meet Mr Trump.

Mr Trump has received a flurry of visitors since becoming the presumptive Republican nominee last month, including from Lord Cameron and Dame Karen Pierce, the British ambassador to the US.

On Thursday night, Dame Karen hosted a drinks reception at the British embassy in Washington DC, which was attended by Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to Mr Trump’s campaign.

Lord Cameron has declined to comment on his discussions with the former president at Mar-a-Lago, but described him on Wednesday as “certainly an interesting guy”. In his 2019 memoir, the former prime minister said Mr Trump was “xenophobic” and “misogynistic”.

At the dinner, Lord Cameron tried to convince Mr Trump over a steak dinner that he should support Ukraine’s war effort, by arguing that Vladimir Putin would continue invading European countries if he is not stopped by the West, the Washington Post reported.

A readout of the meeting from Mr Trump’s campaign referred only to the need to “stop the killing” during the war, in an apparent reference to his preferred policy of a negotiated ceasefire.

It was also reported on Friday that British diplomats had dined privately with the former president, attended his Super Tuesday victory party, and held meetings with Liz Truss and Nigel Farage.