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US secretary of state Antony Blinken gave the strongest indication yet that the Labour government’s attempts to heal the relationship with the EU in the wake of Brexit have significantly improved relations between Washington and London.
With Sir Keir Starmer set to fly to Washington DC this week to meet up with US president Joe Biden, there had been concerns that the so-called “special relationship” may have been cooled by David Lammy’s announcement that he was suspending 30 arms export licences to Israel.
However, the two men insisted that they are working hand in hand, and united to condemn Iran after it was revealed that the country has been sending ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine.
Sources have suggested that Tehran is receiving nuclear technology in exchange. Mr Blinken said that the US would be imposing further sanctions on Iran, and it is understood that the UK will follow suit.
Secretary Blinken and the foreign secretary also insisted that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is “99 per cent there”.
The two also announced a joint trip to Ukraine as a symbol of support for the country.
After strains between the previous Tory government and the Biden administration over Brexit, Mr Blinken made it clear that the attempts by Sir Keir to repair relations with the EU are strongly supported in the White House and the US Department of State.
He said: “The prime minister and David have made it a top priority to reset relations with Europe, including seeking closer cooperation through a wide-ranging UK-EU security pact.
“We fully support these efforts. It’s good for the UK; it’s good for Europe; it’s good for the US, which benefits when our transatlantic allies are tied even more closely together.”
The secretary of state said that the relationship between the two allies goes beyond special, as it has been described in the past, adding: “I like to call it essential. Essential to our nations, our people, and people well beyond our shores.”
He noted that President Biden is particularly pleased with the new UK government’s commitment to the Northern Ireland peace process, an issue that proved problematic in his relationships with former prime ministers Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
Mr Lammy hailed the trip to Ukraine as “the first of its kind in a decade” at a press conference in London alongside his American counterpart on Tuesday.
Speaking to media in the Locarno Suite at the Foreign Office, Mr Lammy said the visit would be critical in allowing both men to listen to Ukrainian concerns and report back to their leaders.
“It’s hugely important that we’re travelling together to hear from our Ukrainian counterparts and President [Volodymyr] Zelensky, their assessment of the situation on the ground, and their needs on the ground,” Mr Lammy told journalists.
Announcing sanctions on Iran, Mr Blinken said: “The United States will be announcing further sanctions on Iran later today, including additional measures on Iran Air. We expect allies and partners will be announcing their own new measures on Iran as well.”
The US has warned Iran that sending weaponry to Russia to use against Ukraine would “constitute a dramatic escalation”. “Russia has now received shipments of these ballistic missiles, and will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine against Ukrainians,” he said. The Iranian ballistic missile system, which has a maximum range of 75 miles, allows Russia to target its arsenal further from the front line, he added.
As with previous US intelligence findings, Iran has denied providing Russia with weapons to use in its war in Ukraine.
Mr Lammy would not be drawn on whether Ukraine would be given permission to use UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles on Russian soil – something that Mr Zelensky has sought for a long time.
“It would ... be quite wrong to comment on the detail of operational issues in a forum such as this, because the only person who could benefit is [Russian president Vladimir] Putin, and we will do nothing to give him any advantage in his illegal invasion,” Mr Lammy said.
