New British Prime Minister Keir Starmer began a tour of the United Kingdom today with the aim of “immediately restoring” relations with the governments of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Starmer’s first stop to meet Scottish Prime Minister John Swinney in Edinburgh indicated that he wanted to “do politics differently” and wanted to “turn differences into cooperation”.
“We will serve all the people of Scotland. Efficiency and self-interest are the politics of the past. “This Labor government’s policy in 2024 is about public service, about reasserting standards and always, always, making sure we have the people who elected us into government on our minds,” the newly-elected British first minister told a crowd of cheering supporters.
Although each country of the United Kingdom elects members to the House of Commons in London, they all have their own regional parliaments.
Keir Starmer’s Labor Party was defeated by Swinney’s Scottish National Party (SNP) in the election, but the SNP retained a majority in Holyrood, the Scottish Parliament, defending Scottish independence.
Starmer said he wanted to shift power from the bureaucratic halls of government in London to leaders who knew what was best for their communities.
He will return to the UK after the tour, where he plans to meet with mayors and said at his first press conference on Saturday that he would deal with politicians regardless of their party.
“There is no monopoly on good ideas. I am not a tribal politician,” he said.
The UK prime minister has also spoken to other international leaders, holding separate phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
According to a spokesman for the British administration, Starmer addressed issues such as a ceasefire in Gaza, the return of hostages to Israel and an increase in humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.
Keir Starmer told Abbas that recognizing a Palestinian state as part of the peace process was the “inalienable right of the Palestinians” and explained to Netanyahu that it was important to secure long-term conditions for a two-state solution, including financial guarantees. Resources to make Abbas’s Palestinian Authority work.
In front of Starmer on Tuesday at a NATO meeting in Washington, the British foreign secretary reiterated his “unwavering” commitment to the alliance during his first trip abroad.
David Lammy, who visited Poland, Germany and Sweden, said the UK government would strengthen ties with the European Union (EU) and remain “resolute” in its support for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, British Defense Secretary John Healy met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Odessa and said the United Kingdom would provide new support to Ukraine, including more artillery and about 100 missiles.
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