See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy JAMES TAPSFIELD, UK POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 10:24 BST, 23 July 2026 | Updated: 11:15 BST, 23 July 2026
The US ambassador was confronted with Ed Miliband's previous comments about 'racist' and 'idiotic' Donald Trump in an awkward interview today.Warren Stephens insisted the new Foreign Secretary was 'wrong' and had 'hopefully' changed his mind as he was read Mr Miliband's remarks on Sky News.The envoy to the UK also said he 'disagreed' with the former Net Zero Secretary on energy policy, and suggested their sole face-to-face meeting had not been smooth.But he stressed that the Transatlantic relationship would continue despite the tensions. Mr Miliband has been put in charge of the Foreign Office by Andy Burnham despite concerns about how he will handle the ties with the US administration.He held his first talks with counterpart Marco Rubio at a summit in the Philippines overnight, and agreed to visit Washington soon. Warren Stephens insisted the new Foreign Secretary was 'wrong' and had 'hopefully' changed his mind as he was read Ed Miliband's remarks about Donald Trump on Sky News Mr Miliband (pictured at the ASEAN summit in the Philippines last night) has been put in charge of the Foreign Office by Andy Burnham despite concerns about how he will handle the ties with the US administrationMr Miliband had been widely tipped to become Chancellor, but was passed over in favour of former defence secretary John Healey. In his interview this morning, presenter Wilfred Frost read Mr Stephens a 2016 jibe by Mr Miliband at Mr Trump, in which he said: 'The idea that we have shared values with a racist, misogynistic self-confessed groper beggars belief.'With a grim smile, Mr Stephens replied: 'Yeah I've read those, those were some time ago I think... Hopefully his views have changed.'Frost then pointed out that in 2018 Mr Miliband said Mr Trump had 'lowered the bar for idiocy' and had a 'peculiar relationship with Russia'. Pressed whether Mr Miliband could really forge strong relations in light of his opinions, Mr Stephens said: 'People's view of President Trump in 2016 is probably a lot different than it is in... 2026.'I would suspect his views have changed on President Trump. But I haven't talked to him about any of that.'The ambassador added: 'He was wrong then... people say things, and I've said things, where you come back a few years later and say, ''why did I say that, I don't think that's really right''.' Wilfred Frost read Mr Stephens a 2016 jibe by Mr Miliband at Mr Trump (pictured), in which he said: 'The idea that we have shared values with a racist, misogynistic self-confessed groper beggars belief.' Mr Miliband held his first talks with counterpart Marco Rubio (pictured) at a summit in the Philippines overnight, and agreed to visit Washington soonQuizzed about his dealings with Mr Miliband as Net Zero Secretary, Mr Stephens said: 'It's no secret Mr Miliband and I disagree on energy policies. 'But he's in a new role and as Foreign Secretary I'm sure he'll cherish the relationship with the US.'He added: 'We disagree. That's fine, people do disagree... I don't see the logic in using oil and gas that's imported versus using your own.'After Mr Stephens revealed that he only had one meeting with Mr Miliband in his previous job, Frost asked how it had gone. 'It was as you'd expect, we disagree,' Mr Stephens said.
