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Sir Keir Starmer said Joe Biden “deserves congratulations” on the success of the Nato summit and that the president was “in good form” during their recent face-to-face conversation.
The prime minister was asked about Biden’s mental capacity in a new interview with CNN, in which he also discussed the possibility of working with Donald Trump and his weekly meetings with King Charles III.
Starmer recently attended the Nato summit in Washington DC alongside other world leaders including Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky – his first major outing on the global diplomatic stage.
In an interview with CNN on Friday, he was asked about lingering concerns about Biden’s mental acuity, following a series of serious gaffes and his disastrous performance in last month’s debate.
“I spent 45 minutes with the president yesterday,” he told the news station’s Jake Tapper. “We spoke on the phone, as you can imagine, but it was an opportunity to discuss a number of issues.
“We probably went on for about an hour, covered a lot of ground and he was in good shape.
“It was also a very good opportunity for me, as the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, to speak to the President, in his first week, about this special relationship which is important to him and to me.”
Starmer also reiterated that he and the UK had “unwavering support” for NATO and hailed the success of the summit. “We have had two days of council now with a very positive outcome,” President Zelensky said. [said] “It’s a success,” he said.
“And so I think [Biden] deserves to be commended for that.
On Thursday night, Biden gave a high-stakes press conference at the NATO summit, shortly after introducing Zelensky as “President Putin.”
Despite his prepared remarks, during questions from reporters he referred to his running mate Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump,” an error that was picked up by members of the Trump campaign.
Starmer was also asked about the possibility that in November he would be asked to work with Trump, if he returns to the White House. Tapper highlighted previous comments by Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
In 2018, Lammy called President Trump a “woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympath” and a “profound threat to the international order.” Starmer also reportedly said another Trump presidency would not be his “desired outcome.”
“We are sister parties with the Democrats,” Starmer said. “But I have also made it clear that I will work with whoever the American people decide to elect as president.”
“That’s what we can expect, and that’s for the American people to decide. They’ll decide later this year, and we’ll address it on that basis.”
Starmer has previously spoken of abolishing the British monarchy, but he told CNN he now looks forward to his weekly audience with the king.
“It’s always interesting to listen to what he has to say. He’s very interested in politics, UK affairs and international affairs,” he said. “It’s a really frank and fruitful exchange of views, and I hope it continues for a long time.”
He added: “He’s also incredible, you know, he’s had a very difficult time with his health this year, but he’s out there doing his public duty.”
