MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, no friend of “Trumpism”, White House

Miliband’s political positions have frequently put him at odds with the White House: he led opposition within the National Security Council to the use of UK bases for US bombers

Reports from the United States indicate the White House has raised concerns about UK Premier Andy Burnham’s decision to appoint Ed Miliband as foreign secretary, amid warnings from the Donald Trump administration that he could create tensions in the UK-US relationship, according to reports Tuesday.

One senior US official reportedly told the Telegraph that Miliband would be a “point of friction” because of his support for green energy policies that Trump has criticized.

The warning is understood to have been made during unofficial “access” talks between the Trump administration and Burnham’s team after it became clear that Burnham was the leading candidate to replace Keir Starmer.

Miliband’s political positions have frequently put him at odds with the White House. In February, he led opposition within the National Security Council to the use of UK bases for US bombers, a dispute that contributed to a deterioration in Starmer’s relationship with the president, who described the prime minister as “not Winston Churchill.”

The opposition resulted in Starmer denying a US request to use Diego Garcia, the strategically significant military base in the Chagos Islands, at the beginning of the US’ and Israel’s war on Iran.

Miliband has also faced criticism from Trump allies for his approach to energy policy. As energy secretary, he blocked new licenses for oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, a move at odds with Trump’s support for increased domestic fossil fuel production.

The foreign secretary’s previous comments about Trump have also come under scrutiny. In 2016, Miliband wrote, “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, Miliband said Trump had “lowered the bar for idiocy” and later joined a Stop Trump March in London.