Wes Streeting follows Ed Miliband in trying to rebuild bridges with Donald Trump's US government in new 'charm offensive' after previous attacks

Published: 02:09, 26 July 2026 | Updated: 02:13, 26 July 2026 Wes Streeting has followed the lead of Ed Miliband in launching a 'charm offensive' on Donald Trump.  The new Defence Secretary is said to be seeking to repair the UK's relationship with the US President by rebuilding bridges after the 'special relationship' turned sour under Sir Keir Starmer's leadership.  Mr Streeting wants to 'work together' with the President to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and build a global coalition to safeguard shipping through the commercial trade route.  Both Mr Streeting and Mr Miliband can expect an uphill battle, having previously publicly criticised Donald Trump and key figures in his Government.   In a post on X on Friday night, the Defence Secretary said he had a 'good first call' with the US Secretary of State for War Pete Hegseth.  Mr Streeting wrote: 'The UK and US are the closest allies on defence and security. I look forward to working together on our vital shared security interests in an increasingly dangerous world.'  The pair reportedly discussed proposals for a conference in London this week which would bring together NATO allies, defence ministers and military leaders from up to 40 countries.  Previously Europeans had held regular meetings without American leaders, but after a difficult few months the summit would aim to reconcile all sides.   New Defence Secretary Wes Streeting is on the charm offensive, after calling the UK-US relationship 'strained' back in April  Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband will also be seeking to rebuild bridges. He jetted off to meet with his US counterpart Marco Rubio within 24 hours of being appointed   In 2018, Mr Miliband branded the US President a 'racist' and 'misogynist' and claimed he had a 'peculiar relationship with Russia'. In April, Mr Streeting called Trump's social media posts 'incendiary', 'provocative' and 'outrageous' The UK-US relationship had become increasingly tense after the outbreak of the Iran war earlier this year.  Mr Streeting commented back in April that the relations between the two nations were 'strained'.  He had called President Trump's social media posts 'incendiary', 'provocative', and 'outrageous' on Sky News following the President's expletive-laden comments about the Iran War, and suggested Brits should ignore his posts.  Then the Health Secretary, Mr Streeting said the US President should be judged on 'what he does, not just what he says' and admitted that the Iran conflict had 'strained' relations with Mr Trump's administration.  Andy Burnham's new Defence Secretary is also said to have discussed defence investment and the UK's commitment to meeting its NATO commitments.  Mr Streeting has stated he plans to modernise and reform the Armed Forces amid a new age of drone warfare.  He will be following in the footsteps of Ed Miliband, who held his first bilateral meeting on Wednesday with his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, after being appointed as Foreign Secretary by the new Prime Minister.  Mr Miliband jetted off to the Philippines within his first 24 hours of being Foreign Secretary to meet with Mr Rubio at the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit of foreign ministers.  Mr Streeting is said to be looking to modernise the Armed Forces as Defence Secretary in Andy Burnham's new Government But the Foreign Secretary also faces a tricky task in trying to win over Mr Rubio, a close ally of Donald Trump, following his past criticism of the US President.  The 'Net Zero' agenda of Mr Miliband, which he doggedly pursued in his former role as Energy Secretary, is also anathema to the Trump administration. And there are concerns in Washington about Mr Miliband's role in blocking the US from using British bases for strikes on Iran. Meanwhile, Gavin Newsom - the governor of California and one of Mr Trump's fiercest political opponents - has risked complicating matters further by heaping praise on Mr Miliband. In his first bilateral talks with Mr Rubio, Mr Miliband is believed to have reiterated his commitment to mending the fraying 'special relationship' between the US and UK. Transatlantic ties were pushed to crisis point at the outbreak of the Iran war earlier this year. Former prime minister Keir Starmer initially refused to allow US bombers to strike Iran from British air bases, before later altering his stance to allow their use for 'defensive' operations after Tehran launched missiles and rockets across the Middle East.  Mr Miliband was reported at the time to have been instrumental in leading Cabinet opposition to the use of British bases by the US.  When Andy Burnham later launched his successful bid to oust Sir Keir, senior officials in Mr Trump's administration were said to have privately warned the new PM that appointing Mr Miliband as his Chancellor would be a 'mistake'.  There will also be concerns that Mr Miliband's undiplomatic comments about Mr Trump in the past will complicate his job in trying to steady transatlantic ties. In 2018, Mr Miliband branded the US President a 'racist' and 'misogynist' and claimed he had a 'peculiar relationship with Russia'. He also used an interview with GQ magazine to condemn Mr Trump's 'very scary authoritarian tendencies' and vow to join protests against him visiting Britain.