Blow for Ed Miliband as US’ Marco Rubio berates him on UK shortfall

Ed Miliband has faced pressure from Marco Rubio to see Britain move forward in taking on more responsibility over European security during his first official visit to Washington as Foreign Secretary.

The US Secretary of State told Mr Miliband that Europe should “take a greater role in its own security” during talks on Wednesday, the Express understands.

The discussion comes amid continued pressure from Donald Trump and his administration for Nato members to increase their defence contributions. Last year, alliance leaders agreed to spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence by 2035.

The issue has also become a domestic political debate, with Andy Burnham saying last week he would meet the Nato target but declining to commit to Sir Keir Starmer’s earlier ambition of reaching 3 per cent by 2030.

Mr Miliband said his 90-minute meeting with Mr Rubio, which covered the wars in Iran and Ukraine, had been “very productive”, reports The Times.

The talks followed a period of strain between London and Washington over Britain’s position on US military action against Iran.

Before the initial American air strikes, Mr Miliband had urged PM at the time, Sir Keir Starmer not to allow the US to use British bases. Although the UK later reversed that decision, it prompted criticism from the Trump administration, with the US president telling British reporters he was “very disappointed”.

The Foreign Secretary’s support for green energy are likely to have been viewed critically by many in Washington, where Mr Trump and his allies have promoted the phrase “drill, baby, drill”.

However, the US president has welcomed current PM Mr Burnham’s indication that Britain would take a pragmatic approach to drilling in the North Sea.

Beyond defence and energy, Mr Rubio has made clear his concerns about what he describes as the international threat from Left-wing terrorism.

The Telegraph reported that Mr Rubio is particularly focused on Europe and the effect of migration on the continent.

Shortly before Mr Miliband took up his new role last month, Mr Rubio hosted representatives from 67 countries as part of a Trump administration effort to build international backing for a global crackdown on far-left terrorism.

During the event, Mr Rubio said the threat posed by Islamic militants had been “severely diminished”, but warned that far-left terror remained a “blind spot”.

“It is time to crush this evil forever,” Mr Rubio said, according to The Washington Post.

The Trump administration has taken action against Left-wing groups in the US, including Antifa, which was described as a “domestic terrorist organisation” by the White House last year.

The State Department has also targeted groups overseas, designating four far-left organisations from Germany, Italy and Greece as “specially designated global terrorists” in November.

At the time, the department said the designations prevented the groups from accessing the US financial system and “resources they need to carry out attacks”.

Shortly after the conference, the State Department announced visa restrictions aimed at blocking “the entry of foreign nationals who finance, recruit, incite, or otherwise enable terrorist, violent, and criminal Far-Left Terrorist networks”.