Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Kate Devlin

Far-right leader beats Keir Starmer to front of queue for meeting with president-elect Trump

Keir Starmer has no plans to visit Donald Trump in Mar-a-Lago on his way to a meeting of the G20 group of world leaders next week, despite at least one ally making the trip.

Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei has been invited to see the US president-elect at his Florida club, amid speculation others will follow.

A supporter of Mr Trump, Mr Milei celebrated his election win with a fireworks display and posts on social media.

But while Sir Keir offered the Republican his “hearty” congratulations, there are fears Labour will struggle with the next occupant of the White House.

The Trump campaign has accused the party of meddling in the US election, in a row over activists who travelled to help the Democrats.

Sir Keir has also stood by his foreign secretary David Lammy, over comments from 2018 calling Mr Trump a “neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath”.

Mr Lammy will remain in his post until the next election, Downing Street said last week just hours after Mr Trump’s victory was secured.

Asked if he was considering a stop to see the president-elect in Florida on his way to the G20 summit in Brazil, the prime minister told reporters: "No, we’re going straight there as far as I know.

"To be perfectly honest, next week is a long way off just at the moment but as far as I know we’re going straight there.”

Milei will meet Elon Musk alongside Trump – the pair met at a Tesla factory in Texas on 12 April (Getty)

He added: "I obviously spoke to him, as you know, on the phone on Wednesday evening - a very constructive, very good conversation.

"And obviously I had the opportunity a few weeks ago to speak to him for a couple of hours in New York where we discussed a wider range of issues, and we’ll continue to do so."

The Argentinian president is due to meet tycoon Elon Musk, the owner of the social media platform X, alongside Mr Tump when he is in Florida.

Mar-a-Lago is also set to host a gathering of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) from November 14-16, leading to speculation other world leaders could travel to Florida.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.