‘Ruthless’ Trump partnership delivers for UK workers and progressive values: Labour MPs

A “ruthless and effective” relationship with President Donald Trump is delivering for British workers while giving the UK the political capital to defy him on key issues like Palestinian statehood, Labour MPs have argued.

Speaking at a LabourList panel held in partnership with IPPR and Third Way at the 2025 Labour party conference, junior minister Josh Simons said the government has used the relationship in an “unambiguous, ruthless and effective way to focus relentlessly on working people and delivering for them.”

He argued the approach had put Britain “at the front of the queue,” adding: “We got a trade deal before anyone else in the world. And that is a huge credit to the depth of the relationship that Keir Starmer has built with Donald Trump.”

Simons emphasised the importance of ensuring the economic benefits are delivered throughout the country, and “not just in London and the Southeast”. “If you work in the Humber, for Jaguar Land Rover, for example, you are extremely grateful for some of the work that has been done,” he said.

Read the latest news, analysis and commentary on the 2025 Labour party conference in Liverpool here on LabourList.

This strong partnership between the UK and Trump, argued Aylesbury MP Laura Kyrke-Smith, is what allows the UK to pursue its own progressive values on the international stage. 

On recognising Palestine, she said: “We have carved out a different path there, and I think we’ve been able to do it effectively because we’ve invested all of that time building the relationship with President Trump.”

The panellists continued their defence of progressive realism when asked by an audience member if Britain should ban Elon Musk from the country. 

“It wouldn’t make a difference to our country. In fact, it might harm it,” Simons said. “The job of a British government is to use the power that it has in the interests of the British people. And sometimes that means saying no to symbolic acts.”

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Kyrke-Smith agreed banning Musk would be the wrong approach, but said social media companies required tougher regulation. “We need to absolutely call out what he is doing,” she said, calling the Online Safety Act “a really important first step.”

Referencing Labour’s broader political strategy, Simons said the nature of modern politics and the attention economy required leaning into controversy. “You have to pick fights. You have to tell big stories. 

“You cannot be the patrician politician who brings people together, swans in at the end. You have to roll up your sleeves and fight.”

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