Sir Keir Starmer has hit back at Donald Trump, after the US President said closer relations with China are “very dangerous”.
The Prime Minister also revealed he did not get changed under cover to avoid being snooped on by Chinese spies and said he was a confident user of chopsticks.
Mr Trump made the comments at a premiere for a documentary about his wife Melania saying it “it is very dangerous for them to do that”.
Asked to comment on the remarks, Sir Keir told GB News’s Political Editor Christopher Hope: “This has been a success, this trip. And I’ve seen the clip from Donald Trump.
“I think it’s fair to say he was really talking much more about Canada than the United Kingdom UK…
“As you would expect, between allies, we talked to him and his team about this beforehand.
“And I think I’m right in saying that President Trump is himself expected to come to China in April. But this trip, from a UK point of view, has been a real success.”
The PM lso disclosed he did not take the measures used by Theresa May when she visited in 2018 by getting changed under cover.
Sir Keir Starmer has hit back at Donald Trump on GB News, after he warned that the UK’s relations with China are ‘very dangerous’
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GB NEWS / REUTERS
He said: “I can confirm that I didn’t. And I’ve always said that we need to seize the opportunities mindful of our national security.
“What I think is wrong, is simply putting your head in the sand. This is the second biggest economy in the world.
“If you take Hong Kong as well, it’s our third biggest trading partner.
“So many good reasons to engage and to seize the opportunities. But to be mindful and always have our first priority, our national security.”
The Prime Minister sat down with GB News during his visit, becoming the first UK Prime Minister to make the trip in eight years
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GB NEWS
Sir Keir said he has plenty of experience at eating with chopsticks, but declined to say he used them when he dined with Xi.
He said: “We had a formal part, an informal part, and then lunch. We were for about three hours together, and it was warm and constructive.
“And the result was that access to our businesses, which is hugely important for them… I can use chopsticks…. Plenty of experience.”