McFadden suggests ministers can’t respond to ‘every comment’ from White House

The UK government cannot “chase every comment” and must maintain a “good and constructive” relationship with Donald Trump’s White House, Pat McFadden has said.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster made the comments at a fringe panel at Scottish Labour’s conference in Glasgow on Friday.

Addressing the Labour Friends of Scotland panel, entitled “Working Together To Win”, he said the UK was going to have to “do more” to fund its defence.

“I don’t think any gathering of politically interested people can take place right now without appreciating the change that is happening in the international context, and where we are and what that would mean for the country.

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“Ever since the end of the Second World War, the UK and the European defence policy has very much been boxed up with the United States and has benefitted from huge American backing.

“And we are being asked to do more, and we’re going to have to do more. That’s true of us and that’s true of our European partners.”

Starmer’s US trip ‘very important’ for UK

He said this change could bring “opportunities” for the UK.

“We have an advantage in the UK. We have a newly elected, stable, centre-left government for the next four years. This is not true everywhere, and so people know who they’re dealing with.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is flying to the US next week to meet with the US president. Describing the meeting as “really important”, McFadden said the government can’t conduct public policy by reacting to every comment put to them by the press.

“The Prime Minister’s trip to the United States next week is really important.

“I think we are going to have to not chase every comment, every statement.

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“I see some journalists in the room, a lot of the interviews with any government minister at the moment are “so-and-so has just said X, what’s your response” and it’s fair enough on one level – but we actually can’t conduct policy like that .”

He said the government was going to have to step back and consider what is in the public interest.

“We are going to have to take a step back from that, and look at this through what is in the interests of our people here.It’s in the interest of our people to maintain a good and constructive relationship with the United States, and also to play our own role in the changed response that is going to have to come from Europe on that.”

McFadden also hit out at Reform, who he said were “getting away with quite a lot” and existing in a “policy free zone”.

He said their one policy was to “reject the model of the NHS” and it was “important to remind voters of that”. Leader Nigel Farage has hit back at such claims, however.

Read more on Scottish Labour conference:

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