There are countless reasons to criticise a British prime minister. Perhaps he or she accidentally took the country out of the European Union, or held drunken parties during a national lockdown, or left D-Day commemorations early to attend a pre-recorded interview. Having dinner with Donald Trump is not one of them.
Despite the excitement on the political left over the elevation of Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee, this US presidential election is essentially a coin toss. Trump's candidacy must be taken both literally and seriously.It is the job of the prime minister to build a strong and personal relationship with the United States.
Republican or Democratic, the US is the UK’s most important security and military ally. Our bonds, forged in war and buttressed by peace, run far deeper than whoever happens to be running our respective countries at the time.It is hard to imagine that conversation last night was riveting.
No doubt, Starmer discussed what Trump likes to hear – that is, how wonderful the former president is. Perhaps golf, even the defence of Ukraine got a mention. The important fact is that the meeting took place at all.Londoners can rightly be horrified by Trump’s politics, race-baiting and sexual misconduct.
Sir Keir too may well share similar reservations. But he, alongside Foreign Secretary David Lammy, have a job to do. That is, keep Britain safe and secure. And that means remaining on the best possible terms with our ultimate guarantor, the United States, whoever is president.
Whatever the weather
Londoners are fortunate for many reasons, but a lesser-known one is the climate. In large swathes of the world, the weather kills. Either too hot or too cold, too wet or too dry, buffeted by hurricanes, lightning and storm surges. Whereas in the capital, the major concern is normally that bad light may stop play at Lord’s.However, today may be an exception.
As of this morning, the Environment Agency had 63 flood warnings in place across England in addition to 121 flood alerts. London faces a yellow weather warning for rain and there are even “isolated brief tornadoes” according to the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation.
Climate change makes things worse. Warmer air can hold more moisture, which increases the likelihood of more intense bursts of rainfall. This puts greater pressure on our over-burned and Victorian drainage systems, worsening the flooding.In the meantime,
Londoners must bank the memories of the summer gone by and look forward to Christmas. Only 89 days to go.
