Not up to Keir Starmer to ‘fact check’ Trump during visit, says minister

It is not up to Sir Keir Starmer to “fact check” Donald Trump during the Prime Minister’s visit to the US, a Cabinet minister has said.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed said Sir Keir’s role in Washington is to advance UK interests.

He was asked if Sir Keir should follow the example of French President Emmanuel Macron and correct Mr Trump in real time.

“The question on Donald Trump, I don’t think it is for the Prime Minister on any visit to be fact checking, as you put it, his host… It’s for the British Prime Minister to advocate for the interest of the United Kingdom in a way that is most likely to secure the outcomes that we want,” Mr Reed told journalists in Westminster.

“So that is the approach the Prime Minister will be taking.

“It’s not performative. It’s extremely serious about getting the outcomes that we need, whether that would be on trade, on security, or any other issue I’m sure that might come up during those kinds of meetings.”

Ukraine, the Chagos Islands and trade are among the topics on the agenda when Sir Keir meets Mr Trump.

Mr Reed reiterated that the Government would not accept a trade deal with the US at the cost of environmental standards.

“We’ve been really clear before the election and now – we won’t undercut British farmers on welfare or environmental standards,” he said when asked about the possibility of chlorinated chicken or hormone-treated beef hitting UK shelves as a result of a deal.