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Can a Labour prime minister get on well with a Republican US president? Or a Conservative PM with a Democrat in the White House?

The short answer is yes, absolutely.

There are plenty of examples of a good relationship and close bond between a Labour prime minister and Republican president. And vice versa.

Indeed, some prime ministers and presidents from seemingly opposing political parties have bonded for the simplest or most trivial reasons. Cigars, toothpaste and burgers, for example.

And it’s not always rosy between prime ministers and presidents of the two sister parties. There have been some big fallings out: over Suez, Vietnam and the Caribbean island of Grenada.

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Starmer says the ‘special relationship’ is ‘as important today as it has ever been’

But never has a British Labour prime minister faced such special challenges in maintaining the “special relationship” with a Republican president as Sir Keir Starmer does right now.

It’s not just policy differences – on issues such as trade tariffs, Ukraine, Israel, defence spending, Brexit and climate change – that divide Downing Street and the White House right now.

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Never before has an incoming president faced such a tirade of brutal insults from senior members of a UK government like those hurled at him by leading members of Sir Keir’s cabinet.

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He’s a “racist KKK and neo-Nazi sympathiser”, (David Lammy, 2017), an “odious, sad little man”, (Wes Streeting, 2017) and “a racist misogynistic, self-confessed groper”, (Ed Miliband, 2018). And that’s just a sample.

That’s not all. Last month, the Republican Party filed a legal complaint after almost 100 Labour Party aides flew to the US to campaign for Kamala Harris, alleging “blatant foreign interference” in the presidential election.

Critics, led by the new Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, have accused Sir Keir and his party of playing student politics by picking a fight with the most powerful man in the world. And someone who’s notoriously vindictive.

It was all very different 80 years ago (critics would also say that political leaders were real statesmen back then).

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Badenoch calls out Lammy at PMQs

The phrase “special relationship”, describing the alliance between the UK and US, was first used by Winston Churchill in a speech in Missouri in 1946, in which he also coined the phrase “the Iron Curtain”.

That speech was introduced by president Harry Truman, a Democrat, with whom Churchill had attended the Potsdam Conference in 1945 to negotiate the terms of the end of the Second World War.

They were close friends and would write handwritten letters to each other and addressed one another as Harry and Winston. Truman was also the only US president to visit Churchill at Chartwell, his family home.

Churchill also had a close relationship with another Democrat president, Franklin D Roosevelt. Their close bond during the Second World War was described as a friendship that saved the world.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill, left, of Great Britain and President Franklin Roosevelt faced reporters at the White House in Washington on Dec. 23, 1941 at a press conference in which the heads of two great world powers linked in a common war expresses confidence in victory. Churchill, with his customary black cigar, emphasizes his reply to a question with a gesture. (AP Photo)
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Prime minister Winston Churchill and president Franklin Roosevelt at the White House in Washington on 23 December, 1941. Pic: AP

One reason they got on famously was that they were both renowned cigar smokers. Like Churchill, Roosevelt’s cigar smoking was a widely reported part of his public persona after he became president.

But after Churchill’s bromances with Democrat presidents, his Conservative successor Anthony Eden fell out badly with the Republican president Dwight Eisenhower over the Suez Crisis in the mid-1950s.

And it was a Conservative prime minister and a Democrat president with seemingly nothing in common, the stuffy and diffident Harold Macmillan and the charismatic John F Kennedy, that repaired the damage.

“Between them they had rescued the special relationship after the rupture of the Suez Crisis, and done so at a time of uniquely high tensions around the world,” wrote British author Christopher Sandford in Harold And Jack, The Remarkable Friendship Of Prime Minister Macmillan And President Kennedy.

Harold Macmillan John F. Kennedy at Andrews Air Force Base.
Pic AP
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Harold Macmillan and John F Kennedy at Andrews Air Force Base. Pic: AP

It was the early 1960s and these were dangerous times, rather like now, of course. Back then it was the Berlin Wall, the Cuban missile crisis and threat of nuclear weapons.

“Through it all, the two leaders had exchanged not only formal messages but also a steady flow of handwritten notes, Christmas and birthday cards, congratulations, and, on occasion, condolences,” Sandford wrote.

But it was a relationship abruptly cut short in 1963, by “supermac’s” demise caused by the John Profumo sex scandal and then JFK’s assassination in Dallas just a month later.

“Like many of those who came into the Kennedys’ orbit,” the Washington Post wrote, “Macmillan was enchanted by Jacqueline Kennedy, and she seems to have happily entered into a father-daughter relationship with him that lasted long after her husband’s assassination.”

John F. Kennedy with John Diefenbaker and  Harold MacMillan, during luncheon at Balhi Hai, Bermuda in 1962.
Pic: AP
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John F Kennedy with Harold MacMillan, during lunch in Bermuda in 1962. Pic: AP

After Kennedy, the so-called “special relationship” cooled once again during the tenure of Labour’s Harold Wilson and Democrat Lyndon Johnson, when Wilson rejected pressure from Johnson to send British troops to Vietnam.

And even though Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan were ideological soulmates, Thatcher was furious when she wasn’t consulted before the Americans invaded Grenada in 1983 to topple a Marxist regime.

Even worse, according to Thatcher allies, a year earlier Reagan had stayed neutral during the Falklands war. Reagan said he couldn’t understand why two US allies were arguing over “that little ice-cold bunch of land down there”.

Margaret Thatcher admiring Ronald Reagan's bear design silver cufflinks when the former California Governor visited her office.  She is holding a silver dollar medallion presented to her by Mr Reagan.
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Margaret Thatcher was frustrated with Ronald Reagan over his position on the Falklands. Pic: PA

Long before the accusations of Starmer’s Labour meddling in the Trump-Harris election, the Tories were accused of dirty tricks in the Bill Clinton-George HW Bush presidential election of 1992.

During the campaign the Home Office checked immigration nationality records to see whether Clinton applied for British citizenship while a student at Oxford University to escape the Vietnam draft. It wasn’t true.

US President Bill Clinton, left, toasts with British Prime Minister John Major during a formal dinner at the Prime Minister's official residence at No. 10 Downing Street, November 29
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US president Bill Clinton held a toast with John Major during a dinner at Downing Street. Pic: PA

Then prime minister John Major issued a grovelling public apology and Clinton was forgiving. In 1994 the “special relationship” received a huge boost when the president took Major to the home in Pittsburgh where his grandfather and father lived and worked.

Then it was back to Washington where Major became the first foreign leader to stay overnight in the Clinton White House. But as well as the flattery, the pair worked closely in the early stages of the Northern Ireland peace process.

Clinton’s political soulmate, of course, was Tony Blair. They were as close as Reagan and Thatcher. But it was with the Republican George W Bush that Labour’s Blair embarked on the defining mission of his premiership, the Iraq war.

Tony and Cherie Blair accompany U.S. President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton as they depart the White House February 6 enroute the presidential retreat at Camp David. The Blairs will spend Friday night and Saturday night with the Clintons at Camp David before leaving Washington early Sunday morning...CLINTON BLAIR
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The Blairs spent two nights with the Clintons at Camp David. Pic: AP

George “Dubya” Bush had defeated Clinton’s vice president Al Gore in the bitterly contested presidential election of 2000 and in early 2001 he entertained Blair at Camp David. It was to prove to be a historic encounter.

“He’s a pretty charming guy,” the president gushed at their news conference. “He put the charm offensive on me.” How many times have we heard that said about Tony Blair?

Then it got deeply personal. They were asked if they’d found something in their talks that they had in common. “Well, we both use Colgate toothpaste,” the president replied.

Quick as a flash, an embarrassed Mr Blair intervened: “They’re going to wonder how you know that, George.”

President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair walk together as they tour the grounds of Camp David February 23, 2001. The meeting is Bush's first with a European leader as he and Blair seek to reaffirm the special relationship which exists between the U.S. and Britain.
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Tony Blair and George W Bush first met in 2001. Pic: Reuters

The war was the turning point of Blair’s decade in Number 10. He was branded a liar over claims about Saddam Hussein’s “weapons of mass destruction”, he was vilified by the Labour left and it was the beginning of the end for him.

Some years later, the Tory prime minister sometimes called the “heir to Blair”, David Cameron, bonded over burgers with the Democrat president Barack Obama, serving a BBQ lunch to military families in the Downing Street garden.

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron (L) and U.S. President Barack Obama serve food to a guest at a barbecue in the garden of 10 Downing Street, in central London May 25, 2011. U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday will stress a united effort to pressure Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to step down, while glossing over differences between their two governments. REUTERS/Matt Dunham/Pool (BRITAIN - Tags: POLITICS IMAGES OF THE DAY)
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David Cameron and Barack Obama served burgers to guests in the Downing Street garden in 2011. Pic: Reuters

They seemed unlikely allies: Obama the first African-American president and Cameron the 19th old Etonian prime minister. It was claimed they had a “transatlantic bromance” in office.

The two leaders were often pictured together playing ping-pong or golf, eating burgers or watching a basketball game. “Yes, he sometimes calls me bro,” Cameron once said of president Obama.

Cameron even persuaded Obama to help the Remain campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum, when he claimed the UK would be “at the back of the queue” on trade deals with the US if it left the EU.

U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron smile after Obama missed a putt during a round of golf at The Grove golf course in Watford, England April 23, 2016.REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
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David Cameron and Obama also enjoyed a round of golf. Pic: Reuters

Which brings us, neatly, to Sir Keir and president-elect Trump and the prime minister’s hopes of building a special relationship.

On the plus side, the president likes the UK – his mother was Scottish and he owns two golf courses in Scotland. And we’re told by Sir Keir that the dinner at Trump Tower in September went well. The mouthy Mr Lammy admitted he was even offered a second portion of chicken. “He was very gracious,” he claimed.

On the other hand, neither the prime minister nor the president smoke cigars, like Churchill and Roosevelt did. We’re not sure which toothpaste they use, unlike Bush and Blair, either.

Donald Trump works behind the counter during a visit to McDonald's in Feasterville-Trevose.
Pic Reuters
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Donald Trump served fries to customers at a fast food chain during the election campaign. Pic: Reuters

And while the president obviously likes burgers – he famously flipped them in a McDonald’s during the election campaign – and steak, well done, with ketchup, Sir Keir is vegetarian, though he does eat fish.

But if even a stuffy old toff like Harold Macmillan can get on well with the flamboyant JFK and glamorous Jackie Onassis, there’s hope for Sir Keir and that much-vaunted “special relationship”.

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Kosovo PM Albin Kurti: We feel ‘obligation’ to host UK migrant return hub

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Kosovo PM Albin Kurti: We feel 'obligation' to host UK migrant return hub

Kosovo feels a “political duty” to process failed migrants from the UK, if legal issues can be overcome, the country’s prime minister has told Sky News.

Albin Kurti said there is “limited capacity” in the small nation, which has a population of fewer than two million people, but that he expected a “successful result” from negotiations.

Talks are under way, he confirmed, between officials from both countries about a migrant returns deal for those whose claims have been ruled ineligible by the UK, and are awaiting deportation to their country of origin.

A Home Office team is exploring options for how one could work, Sky News understands, although no formal request has yet been made to Kosovo to host a facility.

Mr Kurti, who is attending a Western Balkans Summit in London this week, said: “We want to help the UK, we consider that that is our friendly and political duty.

“We have limited capacity but still we want to help, and as we speak, there is regular communication between our teams of state officials from our ministry of internal affairs and lawyers about how to do this smoothly for mutual benefit.

“Of course, we want, as a country, to benefit but we consider it first and foremost our obligation to help you because you helped us a great deal and will never forget that.”

Rescued migrants are brought in by the RNLI to Dover earlier this month. Pic: PA
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Rescued migrants are brought in by the RNLI to Dover earlier this month. Pic: PA

Western Balkans key allies

Sir Keir Starmer has identified the countries of the Western Balkans as key allies in the fight against irregular migration, with 22,000 people using this route to reach the UK last year.

The UK government has signed agreements to tackle smuggling gangs with Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia and Kosovo.

Keir Starmer said earlier this year that the government was in talks with unnamed countries about setting up “return hubs” which he called an “important innovation” for individuals who have exhausted all appeals in the UK system.

Kosovo is the first to confirm these negotiations are under way, and further discussions about it are likely in the margins of this week’s summit.

The small eastern European nation and the UK have strong ties, with Sir Tony Blair feted in the country for his government’s role in spearheading NATO airstrikes on Serbia in 1999, which helped end the Kosovo War.

In June, Kosovo made an agreement with the US, negotiated under the Biden administration, to take up to 50 US deportees who met certain criteria. But it is understood only one or two have arrived due to legal issues.

Kosovo would likely be seeking a defence agreement and UK investment in return, with the country concerned about Russian aggression and hostility from neighbouring Serbia.

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Tony Blair receiving a hero's welcome in Kosovo in 1999. Pic: Reuters
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Tony Blair receiving a hero’s welcome in Kosovo in 1999. Pic: Reuters

Kosovo wants security support

Mr Kurti added: “We would like mainly to get support in security – be that through strategic agreements, or through equipment and projects we might do. Our two teams are working on this, but I think this will have a successful result.”

It is not expected the UK will make a formal request until further legal issues are worked through, which could be significant.

A controversial deal made by Italy in 2023 to send thousands of migrants to two detention centres in Albania has cost millions of euros and been halted by multiple legal obstacles.

Andi Hoxhaj, Balkan expert at King’s College, said: “Such a deal is unlikely to happen at the Summit. Nevertheless, I expect some statement indicating that the UK and one or two Western Balkan countries are close to reaching an agreement.”

“Establishing an agreement with the UK would not be politically sensitive in Kosovo. The country continues to seek deeper ties with one of its strongest allies-one that played a crucial role in its path to independence.”

Kosovo has convict deal with Denmark

Sir Keir was left embarrassed on a visit to the Albanian capital in May when he announced the UK was in talks about return hubs in the Balkans, only for Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to say he would not allow the UK to “dump immigrants” in his country when it is in a “marriage” with Italy.

Under Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Office has shifted focus to migration – with more staff working on the issue, drawing up sanctions on people smugglers and pursuing returns agreements.

Kosovo has also ratified a deal with Denmark – another active contributor to the NATO-led Kosovo peacekeeping force – to take 300 convicts from its overcrowded prisons, due to start in 2027.

Return hubs are different from offshore processing – which is what the Conservatives had proposed with the Rwanda scheme.

It is proposed that individuals would only be sent to a return hub if their claim for asylum in the UK had been rejected – and they were awaiting deportation.

By sending them to a third country, the government hopes it will prevent people trying to frustrate and delay the process of removal and that it could act as a deterrent to people coming in small boats.

Only 3% of people of small boat arrivals in 2018-24, or around 5,000 people, were returned from the UK, according to the Oxford Migration Observatory, although removals of failed migrants from all routes has increased in the past year.

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Police should focus on ‘tackling real crime’, No 10 says, after Met Police halts non-crime hate probes

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Police should focus on 'tackling real crime', No 10 says, after Met Police halts non-crime hate probes

Officers should focus on “tackling real crime and policing the streets”, Downing Street has said – after the Metropolitan Police announced it is no longer investigating non-crime hate incidents.

The announcement by Britain’s biggest force on Monday came after it emerged Father Ted creator Graham Linehan will face no further action after he was arrested at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of inciting violence over three posts he made on X about transgender issues.

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Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman said police forces will “get the clarity they need to keep our streets safe” when a review of non-crime hate incidents by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing is published in December.

“The police should focus on tackling real crime and policing the streets,” he said.

“The home secretary has asked that this review be completed at pace, working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing.

“We look forward to receiving its findings as soon as possible, so that the other forces get the clarity they need to keep our streets safe.”

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He said the government will “always work with police chiefs to make sure criminal law and guidance reflects the common-sense approach we all want to see in policing”.

After Linehan’s September arrest, Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said officers were in “an impossible position” when dealing with statements made online.

File pic: iStock
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File pic: iStock

On Monday, a Met spokesperson said the commissioner had been “clear he doesn’t believe officers should be policing toxic culture war debates, with current laws and rules on inciting violence online leaving them in an impossible position”.

The force said the decision to no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents would now “provide clearer direction for officers, reduce ambiguity and enable them to focus on matters that meet the threshold for criminal investigations”.

Justice minister Sarah Sackman said it is “welcome news” the Met will now be focusing on crimes such as phone snatching, mugging, antisocial behaviour and violent crime.

Asked if other forces should follow the Met’s decision, she said: “I think that other forces need to make the decisions that are right for their communities.

“But I’m sure that communities up and down the country would want that renewed focus on violent crime, on antisocial behaviour, and on actual hate crime.”

The Met said it will still record non-crime hate incidents to use as “valuable pieces of intelligence to establish potential patterns of behaviour or criminality”.

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Fed mulls ‘skinny’ payment accounts to open rails for fintech, crypto firms

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Fed mulls ‘skinny’ payment accounts to open rails for fintech, crypto firms

Fed mulls ‘skinny’ payment accounts to open rails for fintech, crypto firms

Industry watchers welcomed the idea of “skinny” master accounts as another sign of the end of crypto’s banking troubles, in what insiders describe as “Operation Chokepoint 2.0.”

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