Keir Starmer and David Lammy hit the road as Britain’s Labour government eyes relationships reset

Britain’s new prime minister Keir Starmer has promised to “reset” the relationship between the Westminster government and Scotland’s devolved administration run by the Scottish National Party (SNP) as he travelled to Edinburgh on his first trip outside London since winning the election.

Mr Starmer was greeted first by Anas Sarwar, leader of Scottish Labour, before travelling to Bute House, the official residence in Edinburgh of Scotland’s first minister John Swinney, where he met the SNP leader. Mr Starmer promised that Labour would “serve the entirety of Scotland”.

Earlier, he held calls with Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. He told the Israeli leader that the Palestinian government must have the funds to operate effectively and also to ensure that “the long-term conditions for a two-state solution were in place”, according to Downing Street. Mr Starmer told Mr Abbas that the Palestinians had an “undeniable right” to their state as part of a peace process.

As part of a tour of Europe following Labour’s victory, Britain’s new foreign secretary David Lammy on Sunday visited Poland, which borders war-battered Ukraine, while defence secretary John Healey visited the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Mr Lammy also visited Sweden, the newest member of the US-led Nato military alliance that backs Ukraine in its war with Russia. He visited Germany on Saturday but has yet to visit France, where voting was under way in the second round of parliamentary elections.

Mr Lammy confirmed that Britain would not rejoin the European Union’s single market or customs union, but he promised closer co-operation with EU states in other areas such as defence and security as part of UK efforts to seek a better Brexit trade deal. “Let us put the Brexit years behind us,” said Mr Lammy in comments directed at other European governments. “There is much we can do together.”

While Mr Starmer and Mr Lammy hit the road to reset the Westminster government’s relations with the devolved UK nations and other European countries, back in London the new administration continued to take shape.

In a significant move, Mr Starmer appointed high-profile Blairite and the former Scotland and transport secretary Douglas Alexander to the crucial trade brief in the new government. Mr Alexander, who returns to the House of Commons following the election, had been out of politics since losing his seat in 2015.

In overseeing trade, he will play an important role in helping to conclude deals to drive the economic growth that Mr Starmer and chancellor of the exchequer Rachel Reeves are reliant upon to fund Labour’s plans.

Mr Starmer also made several other eye-catching appointments to his government. Jacqui Smith, who served as home secretary under former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown, returns to politics since losing her seat in 2010. She has been given the job of higher education minister and will be appointed as a member of the House of Lords.

Patrick Vallance, who gained prominence during the Covid pandemic as the UK government’s chief scientific adviser, has been appointed minister for science, while Richard Timpson, a campaigner for the rehabilitation of prisoners, has been appointed prisons minister.

The new government has also had its first taste of the economic problems facing Britain following 14 years of Tory rule. Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said Mr Starmer’s government was examining how it could help to resolve a row between trade unions and Tata Steel, which wants to close one of two blast furnaces in Port Talbot in Wales, with 2,800 jobs under threat.

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