UK needs to be ‘critical friend’ to Trump, says Davey

The UK needs to beryllium a “critical friend” to Donald Trump, Sir Ed Davey has said aft describing him arsenic a “destructive demagogue” erstwhile the US predetermination results came in.

The Lib Dem person besides called for a London acme connected Ukraine for European leaders to co-ordinate earlier Mr Trump takes bureau and for the Government to deepen commercialized ties with the EU arsenic imaginable US tariffs loom.

Sir Ed called Mr Trump a “dangerous, destructive demagogue” this week aft US voters returned him to the White House.

Reform UK person Nigel Farage has said that the UK should “roll retired the reddish carpet” for the US president-elect, and Tory person Kemi Badenoch has suggested Mr Trump code Parliament.

“(The US is) 1 of our closest allies, and we bash request to prosecute with President Trump,” the Lib Dem person told the PA quality bureau connected Friday.

“I’m really, truly wide connected that, but we besides – I’m not definite if Nigel Farage oregon others volition hold with this, (if) the Conservatives would hold with it – we bash request to beryllium a captious friend. Yes, we request to beryllium a friend, but we person to beryllium honest.”

It would beryllium dishonest not to admit that the Lib Dems bash not stock each of Mr Trump’s values, helium said.

I deliberation by having that acme of European leaders, we would nonstop a connection to President-elect Trump, and hopefully a connection that encourages him. He's often said different countries request to bash much - well, it volition beryllium a motion that different countries are doing more

Lib Dem person Sir Ed Davey

“As a person of a country, he’s 1 of our closest allies, but you’re not being a existent person if you don’t constituent retired wherever you disagree,” helium said.

If Mr Trump made bully connected his pledge to enforce tariffs connected UK imports to the US, Sir Ed said engaging with Europe connected commercialized would go much urgent.

“Our system is going to suffer. The outgo of surviving volition get adjacent worse. The maturation prospects volition beryllium hit, and we’ve got to look elsewhere, and that means Europe,” helium said.

He besides called for European countries to co-ordinate enactment for Ukraine earlier Mr Trump took bureau successful January with a “Save Ukraine summit” successful London.

Speaking during a sojourn to Surrey Stands With Ukraine, an organisation based successful Epsom that sends assistance to Ukraine, helium said: “I deliberation we request to pre-empt immoderate determination President-elect Trump yet takes by showing UK enactment successful Europe.

“I deliberation by having that acme of European leaders, we would nonstop a connection to President-elect Trump, and hopefully a connection that encourages him.

“He’s often said different countries request to bash much – well, it volition beryllium a motion that different countries are doing more, and truthful that hopefully would promote him to enactment the people and proceed the policies of President Biden erstwhile it comes to Ukraine.”

On Friday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer discussed the concern successful Ukraine with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said that during the telephone connected Friday afternoon, “on Ukraine and the egregious deployment of DPRK troops to Russia – the leaders agreed Putin’s ongoing aggression successful Europe could not beryllium allowed to succeed.

“Russia’s continued battle lone further underscored the request for our unwavering and steadfast enactment for Ukraine, the Prime Minister said.”

Foreign Secretary David Lammy meantime said that a “deployment of DPRK troops to the beforehand enactment would beryllium a sedate error” and the “deployment of combat troops constitutes a unsafe enlargement of DPRK’s enactment for Russia’s amerciable war”.