𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Ed Miliband faces an icy reception when he jets to the US to meet Donald Trump’s administration for the first time on US soil on Wednesday.

The meeting in Washington DC between Mr Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Foreign Secretary will be the second time the pair have held talks, following a meeting in Manila at the end of last month.

The former energy secretary, who was critical of Mr Trump while Labour was in opposition, called the US president a “racist, misogynistic self-confessed groper” after his first election victory in 2016.

Mr Rubio and Mr Miliband are set to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Ukraine and the Middle East conflict.

The Cabinet Minister said: “The Government is committed to nurturing our strong, enduring, and essential alliance with the US.

“I am greatly looking forward to my second meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in which we will discuss the ongoing work to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and secure a lasting ceasefire, which is essential to ease cost-of-living pressures on British families.

“We will also discuss how we can continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine against Russia’s war, as well as the importance of addressing the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and working towards a lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis.”

The White House had said it was “deeply concerned” about Mr Miliband’s appointment as Andy Burnham’s Foreign Secretary.

Steve Bannon, Mr Trump’s former chief strategist, claimed the US had warned Mr Burnham’s team that Mr Miliband’s appointment would be “injurious” to the special relationship.

He said: “The Trump administration took the extraordinary step of warning the new Prime Minister that the United States would view the appointment of ‘red diaper’ baby and self-described socialist Ed Miliband as very injurious to the special relationship.”

In 2017, Mr Miliband said Mr Trump had “lowered the bar for idiocy” and later joined a Stop Trump March in London.

He also criticised the president’s “incredibly peculiar relationship with Russia” and accused him of lowering standards in politics.

Mr Miliband has previously clashed with Mr Trump over net zero.

On the Cabinet minister’s past remarks, an ally close to the president previously said: “Trump doesn’t forget. He will not forget. Miliband has some serious diplomatic repair to undertake.”