UK politics latest: Starmer to join Macron for Armistice Day ahead of talks on Trump and Ukraine

The world will have to “wait and see” what Donald Trump “really proposes” over Ukraine, John Healey said.

The Defence Secretary told BBC Breakfast: “We’ll have to wait and see what President Trump really proposes… but if the reports of his call with (Vladimir) Putin last week are right then President Trump is exactly right to warn Putin against escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.

“And our task as a nation supporting Ukraine, one of its leading supporters, alongside allies like France, is to step up our support to reinforce the position that Ukraine has at this period where it’s under great pressure from Russia.”

The prime minister has travelled to Paris to join Emmanuel Macron to mark Armistice Day.

Ahead of the major commemoration events, Sir Keir Starmer is meeting with Chelsea Pensioners, and British officers embedded with foreign military forces.

John Healey denied that the US turning away from Nato would leave the UK in a “weak position”.

Asked whether the loss of US backing would put us in “a very weak and exposed position”, the Defence Secretary told Sky News: “No, we wouldn’t be in a weak position.

“I don’t expect the US to turn away from Nato. They recognise the importance of the alliance. They recognise the importance of avoiding further conflict in Europe.”

He said the US support for Nato “goes back decades, and that has remained, including through the previous President Trump administration”.

“He pushed, rightly, he pushed European nations to do more, to front Nato better,” Mr Healey added.

The Defence Secretary insisted he expects the US to stand by Ukraine for “as long as it takes to prevail over (Vladimir) Putin’s invasion” amid questions over the future of US support under Donald Trump.

John Healey said he thought the president-elect “recognises that countries get security through strength, just as alliances like Nato do” and American “determination” to continue backing Ukraine is “just as strong”.

Asked whether Ukraine’s safety had diminished since Mr Trump’s election win, Mr Healey told Sky News: “No, I don’t. The US alongside the UK have been two of the leading countries that have been standing by Ukraine, supporting Ukraine, our determination to do so is just as strong.”

He added: “As far as President Trump goes, he recognises that countries get security through strength, just as alliances like Nato do, and I expect the US to remain alongside allies like the UK, standing with Ukraine for as long as it takes to prevail over Putin’s invasion.”

Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to France to commemorate Armistice Day is a reminder that “we can never take the freedoms we enjoy in Europe for granted”, the Defence Secretary said.

The Prime Minister is attending commemorations across the Channel to mark “a special year” and the “close relationship” between London and Paris, John Healey said.

The Prime Minister is the first to visit France for Armistice Day since Winston Churchill joined Charles de Gaulle in 1944.

Asked why Sir Keir was making the trip, Mr Healey told Sky News: “This is a special year. We mark 80 years D-Day invasions and some of the critical battles that liberated Europe and ended the Second World War.

“This is also a mark of the close relationship between the two leaders, between (President Emmanuel) Macron and Starmer, but also the historic bonds between our two countries and our two militaries.”

He added that the visit was “very fitting” and a reminder that “we can never take the freedoms we enjoy in Europe for granted”.

Sir Keir Starmer is set to be the first UK leader to attend a French Armistice Day ceremony since the Second World War following a personal invitation from Emmanuel Macron, in what is a major step in his plans for a Brexit reset.

The prime minister, who has put a revival of relations with Brussels at the heart of his mission, will attend 106th anniversary of the Armistice of 1918 in Paris on Monday, becoming the first UK leader to attend the ceremony since Winston Churchill in 1944. Paris had been liberated that summer.

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Welcome to our live coverage as Sir Keir Starmer meets with Emmanuel Macron to mark Armistice Day in Paris.

The two leaders are expected to discuss Ukraine, NATO and Trump’s second presidency as the prime minister hopes to strengthen his relationship with the French president.

We’ll be bringing you all the latest.