The paper says that Andy Burnham has been cautioned that Ed Miliband has some “serious diplomatic repair to undertake” in the US, after his promotion to the role on Monday sparked anger from the Trump administration:
The former energy secretary has previously clashed with Mr Trumpover net zero and his attitudes to democracy and in 2016 he described the president as “a racist, misogynistic, self-confessed groper”.
One source close to the president told The Independent: “There’s genuine anger about this appointment.”
The two men have been attacking one another for more than a decade. Mr Miliband previously said of the president: “We must do our best at home and abroad to resist the worst of Trumpism… These are dark days for America and the world. There can be little solace right now.”
In 2017, he said Mr Trump had “lowered the bar for idiocy” and later joined a Stop Trump March in London. He also criticised the president’s "incredibly peculiar relationship with Russia" and accused him of lowering standards in politics.
The new foreign secretary has also described Mr Trump’s criticism on social media of the UK’s stance on drilling for oil and gas as “irrelevant”, with the president highly critical of his “net zero zealotry" and accusing him of blocking the UK from expanding oil and gas operations in the North Sea.
On Mr Miliband’s past remarks, one ally close to the president told The Independent: “Trump doesn’t forget. He will not forget. Miliband has some serious diplomatic repair to undertake.”
A consultant who works with both the White House and State Department added: “It [Mr Miliband’s appointment] is going down like a lead balloon. The US government no longer takes the UK seriously.
“Ed Miliband is known in Washington for all the wrong reasons. Ed Miliband is seen as an unreasonable ‘nut zero’ extremist who blocked North Sea oil production but was happy for the UK to purchase Norway's fossil fuels from the North Sea.”
The White House is said to be “deeply concerned” about the appointment even though Mr Miliband has previously described how much he loves the US.
They also noted that Mr Burnham himself said in 2021: “Any UK politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed.”
Of course with Trump it is impossible to know what his mood is at any one time. Still, it is an interesting appointment by Andy Burnham.
Milliband was doing his job re 'nut zero'. Is all he said with Trump true? Truth can hurt.Alas, diplomacy has to steer round unpleasant comments/details and build bridges. Myself.DRILL THOSE FIELDS as long as it is100% a UK project from start to finish. The fuel is ONLY for the UK and NOT sold on the open oil market.The infrastructure around the project will create jobs It will also help on reducing our carbon miles trail.
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