After the Labour Party led by Keir Starmer secured a landslide victory in the UK general election, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated on Saturday, July 6th, that he had a phone call with the newly appointed UK Prime Minister Starmer, expressing their intention to promote trilateral security cooperation under the AUKUS partnership involving Australia, the UK, and the US.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us in developing the economy, advancing the AUKUS alliance, and seizing opportunities for global clean energy transformation through joint efforts,” Albanese said, looking forward to engaging in “constructive cooperation” with the newly elected Prime Minister Starmer.
A spokesperson from Downing Street mentioned that Starmer, in his conversation with Albanese, expressed his desire to build upon the partnership foundation between the UK, Australia, and the US.
Albanese further elaborated that they discussed issues concerning the Middle East conflict and the Russian invasion of Ukraine during their conversation.
On Saturday morning, Starmer welcomed his newly formed cabinet at 10 Downing Street, stating, “We have a lot of work to do, so let’s get started now.” In his first speech as Prime Minister, he pledged to “immediately” begin working on “rebuilding Britain.”
Foreign Secretary David Lammy vowed to comprehensively reform the UK’s relationship with its strongest strategic adversary, China (CCP), within the first 100 days in office.
Lammy outlined that the Labour Party’s policy towards China will be guided by the “3C criteria,” meaning to compete on security issues, challenge on human rights issues in Hong Kong and for the Uighur people, and cooperate on areas like artificial intelligence.
According to BBC reports, Starmer is expected to detail the key focuses of his work as Prime Minister in a later press conference. Over the weekend, he will also appoint a range of junior ministers, with the top ministerial positions already filled.
After the elections, Starmer shifted his focus from the UK’s campaigning activities to the international stage, preparing for the upcoming NATO summit next week while engaging in a series of calls with world leaders.
In addition to the Australian Prime Minister, on Saturday morning, he also discussed global challenges such as economic growth with the leaders of India and Japan.
A Downing Street spokesperson highlighted that the conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi focused on defense, emerging technologies, and the possibility of forging a free trade agreement.
In Starmer’s discussion with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, they addressed the issues of the Middle East conflict and the situation in Ukraine.
On Friday, US President Biden congratulated Starmer and discussed commitments to the special UK-US relationship, protecting the achievements of the Good Friday Agreement, and supporting Ukraine.
Starmer also had a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, assuring him of the unwavering commitment to providing defensive support.
Starmer’s office mentioned that his conversation with European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen “emphasized the importance of the unique relationship between the UK and the EU” in tackling common challenges, including regional security.
Starmer is set to host the European Political Community (EPC) summit in the UK on July 18th.