US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to visit UK

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will arrive in London on Monday for a two-day visit, during which he will meet with Secretary of State David Lammy.

The US State Department said Mr Blinken would open what it called a “US-UK strategic dialogue” – understood to be a series of meetings between senior officials that Washington described as “reaffirming” the “special relationship” between the two countries.

The State Department said Mr Blinken would “discuss a range of important issues, including the Indo-Pacific, the AUKUS partnership, the Middle East, and our shared efforts to support Ukraine”.

It is understood Mr Blinken may also meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer while he is in the UK.

The foreign secretary and Mr Blinken met during Keir Starmer’s first visit to Washington as prime minister in July to attend a NATO summit.

After that meeting, the State Department said Mr. Blinken and Mr. Lammy “reaffirmed the importance of ensuring Ukraine has the economic, security, and humanitarian support it needs to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

The pair also “discussed the need to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza to secure the release of hostages and lay the foundation for lasting peace”.

Mr. Blinken regularly visits Israel. has occurred 10 times since the Hamas attack on October 7 last year.

After his most recent meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr Blinken said the Israeli prime minister had accepted Washington’s so-called “bridging proposal”. aimed at resolving deadlocks and bringing Israel and Hamas closer to an agreement.

Pressure has grown on Mr Netanyahu to close a dealamid widespread protests in Israel last week.

On Friday, the White House announced that the British prime minister will also travel to Washington for a second bilateral meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House on Friday, September 13.

The prime minister said his first face-to-face talks with President Biden in July were an opportunity to “recommit” to NATO and the “special relationship” between the UK and the US.

Speaking ahead of next week’s meeting, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Mr Starmer and Mr Biden would have “an in-depth discussion on a range of global issues of mutual concern”.

The White House added that “strong support for Ukraine in defending against Russian aggression” would also be discussed, as well as securing the release of hostages and a ceasefire to end the war in Gaza.

“President Biden will emphasize the importance of continuing to strengthen the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom,” the White House also said.