London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – British PM’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney travelled to Florida and Washington to hold secret discussions with senior members of the White House.
Earlier this month, Mr Morgan flew to Florida for a meeting with Susie Wiles, who is the political planner behind Donald Trump’s comeback to power, and he will now serve as Mr Trump’s chief of staff.
In Washington, he also engaged in policy talks with Mike Waltz, who is expected to become the president-elect’s national security strategist.
Britain’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, who assumed the role in November, is also reported to have participated in the discussions.
The sending of the prime minister’s top adviser alongside the UK’s national security adviser marks an effort to strengthen ties before Trump’s oath-taking on January 20.
As reported by The Guardian, Downing Street has confirmed these meetings.
This official visit started on December 2 and seems to have been an attempt to build working ties, considering Donald Trump’s strong support for Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
During a meeting between Elon Musk and Reform UK leader at Trump’s Florida estate, Mr Farage disclosed that the billionaire was seriously considering backing the Reform party financially.
A No 10 source stated, “The mood music was very warm. President Trump is nothing but warm about the UK.”
The Telegraph reports that British Prime Minister and Donald Trump exchanged a call on Wednesday, during which they discussed the possibility of the Keir Starmer visiting the US in February.
The prime minister is facing numerous issues with a Trump Republican administration. In addition to its past criticism from MPs and ministers towards the US president-elect, the Labour Party was accused by Donald Trump in October of “blatant foreign interference” when members were discovered recruiting for the Democratic party campaign.
Britain’s delegation to the White House also talked about Ukraine, China and the Middle East. Along with this, the UK-US trade ties were part of their discussion.
It is also believed that Mr Powell also talked about Chagos Island because he played a key role in securing the agreement to transfer control to Mauritius.
While giving remarks about Wednesday’s call said the date of the visit is not confirmed yet but Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump “agreed to keep in touch” and “looked forward to working together on shared priorities, including international security and delivering economic growth and prosperity.”
According to Number 10, the newly elected president “warmly recounted his meeting” with the Prince of Wales at a Paris event marking the reopening ceremony earlier this month, where they focused on “their shared goal of strengthening the long-standing UK-US relationship.”
Earlier this week, in the House of Commons, Reform UK leader expressed “very deep disquiet” among Trump’s allies regarding Britain’s handover of the Chagos Islands, while the new Mauritian prime minister raised concerns about the benefits of the deal.
Sir Keir met Donald Trump Trump at a dinner in New York last September, with Downing Street highlighting it as proof of the incoming US president’s goodwill towards the Prime Minister.
In the past, several cabinet ministers, including David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, criticised the Donald Trump.
