Ed Miliband insists his past jibe at 'racist' Donald Trump 'didn't come up' in talks with US counterpart Marco Rubio - as Foreign Secretary is urged to boost UK defence spending

By GREG HEFFER, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 08:44, 6 August 2026 | Updated: 08:48, 6 August 2026 Ed Miliband has insisted his past jibes at Donald Trump as a 'racist' and 'misogynist' were not raised in talks with his US counterpart Marco Rubio. The Foreign Secretary said his past comments about the US President 'didn't come up' in discussions with Mr Rubio at the US State Department. He added the US is Britain's 'closest ally' and the partnership between the two countries 'endures through successive administrations'. Following the talks in Washington DC, Mr Rubio suggested he had put pressure on Mr Miliband for Britain and other NATO allies to increase their defence spending. He said the pair had spoken about 'the need for Europe to take a greater role in its own security', as well as discussing efforts to open the Strait of Hormuz and denying Iran a nuclear weapon. Mr Miliband's promotion to Foreign Secretary by Prime Minister Andy Burnham has seen him charged with mending the UK's fraying 'Special Relationship' with the US. But there are concerns that Mr Miliband's undiplomatic comments about Mr Trump in the past could complicate his job in trying to steady transatlantic ties. Prior to his trip to Washington DC this week, it emerged that Britain's new Foreign Secretary is known as 'Ed Miliwatt' among senior figures in the Trump administration. Ed Miliband has insisted his past jibes at Donald Trump as a 'racist' and 'misogynist' were not raised in talks with his US counterpart Marco Rubio The Foreign Secretary said his past comments about the US President 'didn't come up' in discussions with Mr Rubio at the US State Department. The nickname is said to be a joke about the power generated by the Net Zero agenda of Mr Miliband, which he vigorously pursued when he was the UK's energy secretary. Chris Wright, the US energy secretary, is reported to have been among those to have used the moniker for Mr Miliband.  In 2018, Mr Miliband branded the US President a 'racist' and 'misogynist' and claimed Mr Trump had a 'peculiar relationship with Russia'. He also used an interview with GQ magazine to condemn Mr Trump's 'very scary authoritarian tendencies' and vow to join protests against him visiting Britain. Washington's ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens said recently that Mr Miliband had been 'wrong' to label Mr Trump a 'racist' and 'misogynist' in the past, adding that 'hopefully his views have changed'. He also pledged to work with Mr Miliband in his new role, despite their disagreement on green issues. Following his talks with Mr Rubio, Mr Miliband was asked whether he thought his previous statements about Mr Trump had hampered relations with the US administration. 'No, and in fact they didn't come up today,' he replied. 'We had a very productive 90-minute conversation, in which we talked about, yes, about Iran, but about how we can stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine against Russian aggression, about how we can work towards relieving the terrible suffering we're seeing in Gaza, and a two-state solution for security of the Israeli and Palestinian people. And we talked about a range of other issues.' He added: 'What I know is that the US is our closest ally. 'They're our closest ally when it comes to the importance of our economic partnership, our defence partnership, our security partnership, our intelligence partnership. 'That partnership endures, and it endures through successive administrations, and it will endure in the future.' In 2018, Mr Miliband branded the US President a 'racist' and 'misogynist' and claimed Mr Trump had a 'peculiar relationship with Russia' Following the talks in Washington DC, Mr Rubio suggested he had put pressure on Mr Miliband for Britain and other NATO allies to increase their defence spending Mr Miliband said a large part of his discussions with Mr Rubio had focused on securing a 'lasting ceasefire' in the Iran war, which he argued would help tackle the cost-of-living crisis. He said: 'People should be in no doubt, I know, as Foreign Secretary, that the British people are worried about what's happened to petrol prices, diesel prices, energy bills, and the single biggest thing we can do is get that ceasefire in relation to Iran.' In his report of the talks, Mr Rubio notably made no reference to the so-called 'special relationship' with the UK, and simply referred to the topics covered in the discussions. Posting pictures of himself with Mr Miliband on X, he wrote: 'In my meeting with UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, we discussed the need for Europe to take a greater role in its own security. 'We also reaffirmed our shared commitment to open transit in the Strait of Hormuz and ensuring Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.' Earlier, Mr Miliband had ignored questions about whether he still thought Mr Trump was an 'idiot, a racist and a misogynist'. Smiling as he shook hands with Mr Rubio, the Foreign Secretary ducked shouted inquiries by reporters about his previous views on the US President, and said: 'We are looking forward to our meeting.' Mr Miliband was invited to the US capital by Mr Rubio after their recent first meeting on the sidelines of a foreign ministers' summit in the Philippines last month.