UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband meets Marco Rubio in Washington, pressed on defense spending and past Trump criticism

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband in Washington on August 5, 2026, to discuss European security, the war in Ukraine, and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. During the meeting, Rubio urged Miliband to increase UK defense spending. Miliband emphasized the critical need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ease Britain's cost-of-living crisis, while dodging reporters' questions about his past criticisms of President Donald Trump.

Miliband-Rubio Washington meeting

• ▪During the meeting, Marco Rubio urged Ed Miliband to increase British defence spending, stating that Europe must take a greater role in its own security.
• ▪U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband at the State Department in Washington, D.C., on August 5, 2026.
• ▪The meeting on August 5, 2026, was the second meeting between Marco Rubio and Ed Miliband, following their introduction at an ASEAN meeting in Manila in July 2026.

Strait of Hormuz reopening priority

• ▪The Strait of Hormuz was closed after the United States and Israel launched a war in February 2026, causing trade disruptions that drove up fuel and food prices.
• ▪Marco Rubio and Ed Miliband reiterated their shared commitment to safe transit in the Strait of Hormuz and ensuring Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.
• ▪Ed Miliband stated that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is essential to easing Britain's cost-of-living crisis by lowering fuel and food prices.

Miliband past Trump criticism

• ▪Ed Miliband ignored reporters' questions in Washington regarding his past comments calling Donald Trump a "racist, misogynistic self-confessed groper" in 2016 and an "idiot" in 2017.
• ▪The White House reportedly expressed concern over Prime Minister Andy Burnham's decision to appoint Ed Miliband as Foreign Secretary due to his past criticisms of Donald Trump.
• ▪U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Warren Stephens stated that Ed Miliband was "wrong" in 2016 to criticize Donald Trump but hoped his views had changed.

UK-US Ukraine support coordination

• ▪On August 5, 2026, UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv to discuss protection against Russian ballistic threats.
• ▪Marco Rubio and Ed Miliband discussed the war in Ukraine, with Ed Miliband reaffirming the United Kingdom's commitment to support Ukraine for as long as necessary.

Gaza humanitarian situation

• ▪Ed Miliband raised the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza during his meeting with Marco Rubio, emphasizing the urgent need to address the crisis.
• ▪Ed Miliband stated that the United Kingdom is working with the United States to secure a lasting ceasefire in relation to the Middle East conflict.