'If Sir Keir was a backslapper he could give himself a good congratulatory backslapping' - Toby Neal's assessment of that meeting
When Perfect Peter Met Horrid Henry.
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High fives, knee squeeze, backslap... Sorry, that was Macron.
For Sir Keir Starmer, it was bit lip. Which when you are dealing with somebody like Donald Trump has its merits.
A new president requires a new approach. Keep lips firmly bitten is a policy message which Sir Keir has spread with relative success among Labour MPs and, in particular, David Lammy, when it comes to President Trump.
Oh how they would like to say what they really think about him, and one day may feel free to do so. For now, the bitten lip is an act of self-harm which is in the nation's best interests.
It brought its rewards in Washington. There was plenty of going pear-shaped potential, but if Sir Keir was a backslapper he could give himself a good congratulatory backslapping.
No longer is he a "nice guy" (i.e., a pushover), and he's not a "smart guy," (dictator) either. In Trump's eyes he's a "tough negotiator". Praise from the new American president doesn't get any better than that.
