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Louise Thomas
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Sir Keir Starmer has said the US is a reliable and trusted ally after weeks of turmoil surrounding the presidential election.
The prime minister vowed to work with whoever wins the US Presidential election the morning after Joe Biden dramatically pulled out of the race.
With senior Democrats rallying behind vice president Kamala Harris, the PM stressed the importance of the “special relationship” between Britain and the United States.
But Sir Keir refused to discuss his relationship with Ms Harris, adding that it is “for the Democratic Party to decide who they want to put forward”.
“It is then for the American people to decide who they want as their president, my approach will be to respect that and to be clear we will work with whoever the American people elect,” Sir Keir added.
Addressing business leaders and lobbyists at the Farnborough International Airshow, the prime minister was asked about Mr Biden’s decision to quit the Presidential race for the first time.
Sir Keir said “I respect the decision he has now made, not an easy decision, but a decision I know he will have arrived at taking into account the best interests of the American people”.
“I look forward to working with him for the remainder of his presidency,” Sir Keir added.
And, asked about the past few weeks in American politics, which has seen former President Donald Trump survive an assassination attempt, his vice-presidential pick describe the UK as an “Islamist” country, and Mr Biden’s shock withdrawal from the race, Sir Keir said “of course the US is a reliable and trusted ally… it has been for many years”.
The PM highlighted Mr Biden’s leadership of July’s Nato summit, which he described as “a great success”.
Sir Keir is yet to meet Ms Harris despite her role as vice president for the past four years and numerous meetings with senior Democrats.
She is now the frontrunner to take on Mr Trump in the 2024 presidential election after Mr Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed her following weeks of pressure on him to step aside.
In the hours after Mr Biden’s announcement, donors returned to the party in their droves and a string of top Democratic lawmakers and influential figures threw their support behind the vice president.
Though Ms Harris is yet to be officially crowned the presidential nominee, the Biden-Harris campaign has already amended its filings with the Federal Election Commission to declare her as its chosen candidate – a move that will allow her to tap into the campaign’s war chest.
After weeks of pressure from Democratic Party insiders and plummeting poll numbers, Mr Biden finally announced on Sunday that he was bowing out from his efforts to secure a second term in the White House.
The announcement came less than a month after the president’s disastrous debate performance in Atlanta, which led to some Democrats to call for his exit. It also dovetails the conclusion of the Republican National Convention, when the Republican Party made a strong show of unity behind Mr Trump after the former president was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Mr Biden made the announcement in a letter posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, becoming the first president in 56 years to call off a re-election campaign.
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as your president,” he said. “And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term.”
“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” he added. “ Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Sir Keir was in Hampshire announcing the launch of Skills England, a new body to tackle Britain’s "fragmented and broken" skills training system.
The body, which was included in Labour’s manifesto, will bring together central and local government, businesses, trade unions and training providers to better understand the nation’s "skills gap".
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