Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron close ranks this Thursday against the rhetoric of Donald Trump and Elon Musk at a dinner at the Chequers residence, usually reserved for major bilateral meetings. The meeting took place days after the Prime Minister and the French President almost simultaneously criticized the billionaire and X owner for his interference in European politics.
Starmer accused Musk of "spreading lies and misinformation" for his involvement in the scandal of sexual exploitation gangs in the UK. Macron blamed him for fueling "the new reactionary international" and urged other European leaders to "defend democracy".
The meeting at Chequers carries a high symbolic weight, 11 days before Trump's inauguration as president and on the eve of the informal EU leaders' meeting to which Starmer has been invited.
In brief statements for the photo of the meeting, Starmer said it was "a privilege" to host Macron and "a clear demonstration of our ability to work together". Macron, for his part, said that the dinner at Chequers was "a great opportunity to discuss UK-EU relations and to debate the critical situation in Ukraine.
The Ukraine war also ranks high on both agendas, facing the challenge of coordinating a European response to support Kiev after Trump's rise. Regulation of artificial intelligence and action against American tech giants were also among the top priorities.
Since taking office in July, Starmer has worked to cultivate a "special relationship" with the French president, underscored by his attendance in November in Paris at the Armistice Day. The Labour Prime Minister has promised to "reset" relations with the EU and is preparing to renegotiate the Brexit agreement, hence his interest in strengthening ties with Paris.
Meanwhile, Macron has gone through a political storm comparable to that of the UK, with the vote of no confidence that forced the resignation of Michele Barnier as prime minister, five months after elections that accentuated political polarization and the rise of the far right and far left.
In previous statements before the meeting, British Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, acknowledged that Donald Trump's statements "can be destabilizing". Referring to his intentions regarding Greenland and the Panama Canal, he warned that the president-elect's concern "may be related to the economic security" of the United States and the challenges posed by Russia and China.
Lammy also reiterated the UK's commitment to continue arming the Ukrainian army and stated that there is "no evidence" of President Putin's willingness to sit at a negotiating table, despite Trump's promises to try to reach a peace agreement.
The meeting between Starmer and Macron takes place against the political backdrop of the scandal of child exploitation gangs in the UK following the messages spread on X by Elon Musk since the beginning of the year, directly accusing the Prime Minister of being a "accomplice in the violation of the UK" for his lack of action when he was head of the Crown Prosecution Service between 2008 and 2013.
Starmer vigorously defended his record to the media and in Parliament, where a heated debate on the issue took place. By 364 votes to 111, the Labour majority supported the Prime Minister and blocked the opening of a new national investigation into child abuse.
"This is one of the worst scandals in UK history," emphasized the leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch. Starmer referred to the 2022 investigation by Professor Alexis Jay and recalled how none of his 20 proposals were implemented by successive Tory governments.
The controversy arose from Jess Phillips, Secretary of State for Safeguarding Minors, refusing to open a new national investigation following the recent cases of sexual exploitation of minors in Oldham. Elon Musk seized the opportunity to attack Phillips and call her an "apologist for rape and genocide", thereby stirring up one of the recurring themes of the far right, which accuses the major parties of having hidden the seriousness of the problem in the name of being politically correct to avoid exacerbating racial tensions (a large number of those involved in sexual exploitation gangs are men of Pakistani origin).