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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Andrew Sparrow

Trump's Nato attack on Germany 'disgraceful' and 'destructive' says ex US secretary of state - Politics live

Donald Trump and Nato leaders at summit in Brussels.
Donald Trump and Nato leaders at summit in Brussels. Photograph: Geoffroy van der Hasselt/AFP/Getty Images

Afternoon summary

  • John Kerry, the Democratic former US secretary of state, has said Trump’s comments about Germany today were “disgraceful”, “destructive” and counter to US interests. (See 5.15pm.)
  • Labour’s bid to force the government to dock the pay of work and pensions secretary Esther McVey has been voted down by MPs. As the Press Association reports, the motion to “sanction” McVey, by freezing her pay for four weeks after she misled MPs over the Government’s flagship welfare reforms, was defeated by 305 votes to 268. Amid hostile scenes in the chamber, McVey was urged to halt the rollout of the benefit, as Labour sought to “sanction” the cabinet minister for her handling of universal credit, which has included a public row with Whitehall’s spending watchdog, the National Audit Office (NAO). Shadow work and pensions secretary Margaret Greenwood, opening an opposition day debate, told MPs:

Her approach was shockingly complacent - as if oblivious to the hardship so many people are suffering. The secretary of state repeatedly claims her department is testing and learning, but this testing and learning is using people as guinea pigs - this is unacceptable. Where is the dignity?

Greenwood called on McVey to halt UC and put forward a “credible plan to fix its many failings before many more people suffer”. McVey defended the system, and asked Labour to apologise for comments previously made by shadow chancellor John McDonnell who recounted a comment he heard at a public meeting in which someone said she should be “lynched”. McVey also called on the opposition to say sorry for tax credits and figures on the number of children in poverty.

That’s all from me for today.

Thanks for the comments.

Updated

Following the discussion among Nato leaders on the need for greater burden-sharing, a senior UK government official said there had been “unity” among members. As the Press Association reports, in the wake of Donald Trump’s comments on Germany’s pipeline deal with Russia (see 10.10am), the official said the UK supported the diversification of energy sources in Europe. There is an issue in Europe seeking to diversify its sources of energy. Work is ongoing in that respect and we support that,” the official said.

Jon Thomson, the head of HM Revenue and Customs, told MPs at a committee hearing this afternoon that he had aged 35 years worrying about Brexit, my colleague Lisa O’Carroll reports.

Trump's Nato summit attack on Germany 'disgraceful' and 'destructive' says former US secretary of state

John Kerry, the Democratic former US secretary of state, has released a lengthy statement about what President Trump said about Germany this morning. (See 9.15am and 10.10am.) Kerry says Trump’s remarks were “disgraceful” and “destructive”.

Updated

The Spectator’s James Forsyth says President Trump’s call for Nato countries to spend 4% of GDP on defence will make the government’s defence review even harder.

In Scotland politicians, police and protesters continue to struggle to pin down precisely what is happening when the US President arrives in Scotland.

Although it has been confirmed that the UK government’s Scottish secretary David Mundell will greet Donald Trump when he arrives near Glasgow on Friday, it is understood that no members of the Scottish government will be present, nor will Trump meet the first minster of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, who has been a vocal critic of his policies in the past.

It appears that Trump’s stay at his luxury resort in Turnberry, on the west coast, will be an entirely private visit, as he prepares for his meeting in Finland with Putin.

Although there are rumours of ad hoc protests around the Turnberry resort, the main demonstrations on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon will be happening in Glasgow and then Edinburgh.

Yesterday Scotland’s justice secretary Humza Yousaf voiced frustration felt by politicians and the police as he called for “further clarity” around Trump’s as police struggle to organise the £5m security operation with limited forewarning. He urged those wanting to protest against the US President’s visit to do so safely and peacefully.

The White House has confirmed that President Trump wants to double the Nato defence spending target. This is from Bloomberg’s Mike Dorning.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Conservative MP who chairs the pro-Brexit European Research Group, has issued this statement about the amendments the ERG is tabling designed to sabotage Theresa May’s Chequers plan. (See 3.09pm.) He said:

The amendments will put into law the government’s often stated position that Northern Ireland should be treated the same way as the rest of the country.

They will also ensure reciprocity of customs collection, and treating the UK and EU as equals.

They will put into law the government’s stated position that we will not be part of the EU VAT regime.

They will finally require any customs union should be created by primary not secondary legislation, so removing a Henry VIII power.

The Mail on Sunday’s Dan Hodges thinks Rees-Mogg is being hypocritical.

This is what Bulgaria’s president, Rumen Radev, told reporters about what happened at this afternoon’s meeting. Radev said:

President Trump, who spoke first, raised the issue not only to achieve 2%, today, but [set] a new barrier - 4%.

Nato chief says 4% not agreed as target - but does not deny Trump proposed it

Q: Is it true that Trump asked Nato leaders to raise spending to 4% of GDP?

Stoltenberg says he will focus on what has been agreed. It has been agreed that they should raise defence spending to 2% of GDP. And they are making progress towards that.

  • Nato chief says 4% has not been agreed as a target - but he does not deny that Trump proposed it.

And that’s the end of the press conference.

Q: What did Trump says about his forthcoming meeting with President Putin?

Stoltenberg says Nato leaders will discuss Russia at their dinner tonight.

On the subject of the US presence in Europe, Stoltenberg says it has increased under the Trump presidency. “Actions speak louder than words” he says.

He says he is “absolutely confident” about the US commitment to European security.

Trump told Nato members that defence spending target should be 4% of GDP, twice as high as now

This is from my colleague Pippa Crerar who is at the Nato summit.

Q: There is a view that 2% is not enough and it should be higher (Trump’s view). Should it be higher?

Stoltenberg says the first thing is to get Nato countries up to 2%.

In 2014, when Nato recommitted to this (at a summit in Wales), only three countries were hitting this. Now it is up to eight.

Nato secretary general's press conference

Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato general secretary, is now holding a press conference.

He says Nato has agreed to set up new teams to deal with hybrid warfare, such as cyber attacks.

Nato will be able to draw on members’ cyber capabilities, he says.

He says Nato has launched a new training mission in Iraq. Canada will lead it, he says. It will be a non-combat mission involving several hundred trainers.

Support for Jordan and Tunisia was increased, he says.

He says they all agree that they need more fair burden-sharing, and more spending on defence.

The good news is they are making progress. After decades of defence spending cuts, it is now going up, he says.

He says eight Nato members are now committed to reaching the 2% of GDP spending target, and a majority of countries will reach this by 2024.

He says last year saw the biggest increase in defence spending since the cold war.

Trump says Macron 'doing terrific job'

At the Nato summit Donald Trump has also had a bilateral with the French president, Emmanuel Macron. Trump and Macron have a famously warm relationship - they see themselves as outsiders, and Macron scored a hit by inviting Trump to the Bastille Day parade in Paris, inspiring Trump to dream up his own version - and this meeting seems to have been much jollier than the “bilat” with Merkel. (See 3.30pm.)

These are from CBS’s Mark Knoller.

President Trump and President Macron at the Nato summit
President Trump and President Macron at the Nato summit Photograph: Nato

Here is the press room at the Nato summit. My colleague Ewen MacAskill says more than 2,000 reporters are accredited, which is more than usual for a Nato summit.

Press room at Nato conference
Press room at Nato conference Photograph: Ewen MacAskill

Merkel says Germany and US are 'good partners'

And this is what Angela Merkel said about her talks with Trump. (See 3.30pm.)

Let me say that I’m very pleased indeed to have this opportunity here for this exchange of views. Indeed, we had an opportunity to have an exchange about economic developments, on issues such as migration and also the future of our trade relations. We also briefly touched upon the upcoming trips of the president. Let me say that I’m very much looking forward to further exchanges in the future. It is very important to have those exchanges together because, after all, we are partners, we are good partners, and we wish to continue to cooperate in the future.

This is what President Trump said when he and Angela Merkel spoke to reporters. (See 3.30pm.)

We’re having a great meeting and discussing military expenditure, we’re talking about trade. We have a very, very good relationship with the chancellor. We have a tremendous relationship with Germany. You’ve had tremendous success and I congratulate you, tremendous success. And I believe our trade will increase and lots of other things will increase. But we’ll see what happens over the next period of a few months.

Trump and Merkel put on show of unity as Trump claims he has 'very, very good relationship' with her

President Trump and Angela Merkel are speaking to the press after their bilateral. Trump said they had “a great meeting”.

He said that he he had a “very, very good relationship” with Merkel and that the US had a “tremendous relationship” with Germany.

Merkel said she was very pleased to have an exchange of views with Trump. She said she was very much looking forward to further exchanges in the future. That was important, she said. She said they were good partners.

Trump and Merkel then refused to take questions.

I will post quotes from the doorstep in a moment.

Angela Merkel and President Trump
Angela Merkel and President Trump Photograph: Nato

Tory Brexiters table amendments intended to sabotage May's Chequers plan

Tory Brexiters have tabled amendments to the trade bill intended to sabotage Theresa May’s Chequers Brexit plan, the Sun reports.

The trade bill comes back to the Commons next week. Downing Street was worried about pro-European Tories lining up with the opposition to vote for an amendment designed to keep the UK in the customs union, although it now seems that the “rebels” will back off because May’s Chequers plan would guarantee frictionless trade for goods.

According to the Sun, Jacob Rees-Mogg, the chair of the pro-Brexit European Research Group, and his allies have tabled their own amendments. An ERG source has confirmed the story, although he said the amendments could actually be to the customs bill, which is also back in the Commons next week. (The customs bill is officially called the taxation [cross-border trade] bill, so it is easy to see how people get confused.)

There are four amendments. The most important seems to be one that would stop the UK collecting taxes and tariffs on behalf of the EU unless the EU reciprocates. Rees-Mogg told the Sun this would make May’s facilitated customs arrangement (FCA - the new customs plan) impossible.

The other amendments would: prevent the UK ever having an effective border down the Irish Sea (ie, different regulations for Northern Ireland and for Britain); force the UK to have a different VAT regime from the EU; and force the government to pass a new bill if it wanted to stay in the customs union.

To succeed, the Brexiters would have to ensure that their amendments get put to a vote (likely, but not guaranteed) and that they have the support of all opposition parties. On most of these amendments the prospects of that are slim (Labour wants the UK to remain in a customs union with the EU). There might be majority Commons support for the Irish Sea border one, but this is government policy anyway.

But votes on these amendments would enable the Brexiters to put on a show of strength, and May would get to find out how many Tories might be minded to vote against the final Brexit agreement in the autumn.

Updated

This AFP graphic presents the Nato spending figures (see 2.11pm) quite well.

This is from Deborah Haynes, the Times’ defence editor.

And here is the key chart from the Nato report on defence spending (pdf). The five countries hitting the 2% target are the US, Greece, Estonia, the UK and Latvia.

Chart showing defence spending by country as % of GDP
Chart showing defence spending by country as % of GDP Photograph: Nato

As Nato meeting gets under way, Trump starts tweeting about soy bean farmers

President Trump is is now stuck in the first main meeting of the Nato summit, but he - or whoever tweets on his behalf - wants America to know that his mind is on more important matters.

Nato leaders in the room with Trump would be entitled to see that as something of a snub ...

Updated

According to the Sun’s Tom Newton Dunn, Theresa May delivered a mini snub to President Trump at the start of the Nato summit.

Low-flying aircraft banned over parts of UK during Trump visit

Low-flying aircraft will be banned from parts of the UK being visited by Donald Trump., the Press Association reports. Restrictions will affect locations such as central London, Blenheim Palace, Sandhurst, Chequers, Windsor, and Turnberry in Ayrshire, as well as London Stansted and Glasgow Prestwick airports. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) published the restrictions following a request by police forces on the grounds of security. The rules will be enforced at various times between noon on Thursday and 2pm on Sunday.

Aircraft will initially be banned from flying below 2,500ft above sea level in an area covering London Stansted and the centre of the capital. Drone operators and recreational pilots will be affected but commercial flights will not be disrupted by the restrictions.

Charles Michel, the Belgian prime minister, also got the chance to speak at the start of the meeting before the media were excluded. Referring to yesterday’s France-Belgium game at the World Cup, he said France were lucky to win. And then he said, with Nato as in football, teamwork and fair play were essential (half-echoing a line used by Emily Thornberry at PMQs - see 12.12pm.)

Charles Michel
Charles Michel Photograph: Nato

At the Nato summit Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, is speaking at the opening of the meeting. (This bit is public, and there is a live stream here.)

He says fair burden-sharing is at the heart of everything Nato does.

President Trump (left) and Jens Stoltenberg (right) at the start of the Nato meeting
President Trump (left) and Jens Stoltenberg (right) at the start of the Nato meeting Photograph: Nato/NATO

And earlier President Trump posed for this photograph with Theresa May.

Donald Trump gives thumb-up when standing beside British Prime Minister Theresa May during a summit of heads of state and government at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Donald Trump gives thumb-up when standing beside British Prime Minister Theresa May during a summit of heads of state and government at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Photograph: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP

I’m speculating, but I would read that as Trump seeking to mend fences with Theresa May having been told by officials that heaping praise on Boris Johnson yesterday wasn’t hugely helpful to the woman who has secured him tea with the Queen.

Quite what May feels about getting a thumbs-up endorsement from Trump is another matter. The only other British politicians who have had this sort of reception from him have been Nigel Farage and Michael Gove - neither of whom are high on May’s list of role models.

Back at the Nato summit leaders are now taking part in the official opening ceremony. Theresa May gets one of the coveted slots next to Donald Trump.

Nato leaders at the opening ceremony of the summit
Nato leaders at the opening ceremony of the summit Photograph: Nato
President Trump
President Trump Photograph: Nato

Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, asked about Donald Trump in his questions at PMQs. Here is the PoliticsHome write-up of the exchanges from their live blog.

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford asks for a debate to discuss measures to ensure a massacre like that at Srebrenica never happens again.

Lidington is quite emotional as he recalls the tragedy. He says Commons leader Andrea Leadsom will be listening to the calls for a debate.

Blackford segues around “bigotry” to the Donald Trump visit. He says the US president will get the red carpet treatment. And he urges the government to challenge him on human rights, his attitudes to women and his treatment of minorities.

Lidington says the relationship between the UK and US is “probably the closest between any two democracies in the West”. He argues that due to the security cooperation between the two nations “there are UK citizens who are alive today” who might well not be alive otherwise.

Labour’s Dennis Skinner says the government has taken £3.5m out of the miners’ pension fund. They are like Philip Green and Maxwell together. They should stop, he says.

Lidington says miners’ pensions have been paid in full.

Lidington says the government’s Brexit plan will deliver frictionless trade with the EU.

Caroline Lucas, the Green MP, says rail services to her Brighton constituency have been awful. Will May sack Chris Grayling, the transport secretary?

Lidington says the government is reviewing Govia Thamelink Railway (GTR) services. They have not been good enough, he says. He says GTR will be held to account.

Amber Rudd, the Conservative former home secretary, says when May meets Trump, she should tell him about how British intelligence has helped to save lives in America.

Lidington agrees.

Labour’s Nick Smith says the Treasury has racked in millions from the miners’ pension scheme. Will the government stop this?

Lidington says what matters is that the scheme pays out in full. He says his understanding is that it is doing that.

Sheryll Murray, a Conservative, says Cornish food producers currently get support from the government. Will that continue after Brexit?

Lidington says the government will be able to carry on providing the support it provides now.

Updated

Labour’s Julie Cooper asks if the government will increase funding for hospices.

Lidington pays tribute to the work they do. They are an important element in the spectrum of palliative care that takes place at the end of life, he says.

Lidington says it is important for the government to respect the result of the EU referendum. When people see the white paper tomorrow, they will realise it achieves this, he says.

Darren Jones, the Labour MP, asks about the information commissioner fining Facebook. Isn’t it time for an inquiry into the EU referendum. If the British people have been “duped by Brexit shysters”, they deserve to know about it.

Lidington says Jones referred to criminal investigations. In this country it is for the police and the prosecuting authorities to investigate these matters, not for politicians to order such inquiries, he says.

(He is missing the point. Jones was asking for an inquiry, not for prosecutions.)

Updated

PMQs - Snap verdict

PMQs - Snap verdict: By my count Bercow allowed Thornberry seven questions. There are some days when PMQs is worth extending, but today wasn’t one of them and although Thornberry has in the past put on some outstanding performances while acting as Corbyn’s understudy, today she was disappointing, and allowed Lidington to get the upper hand. Her problem was that she got bogged down in detail where she was either not across the facts (my understanding is that the facilitated customs arrangement (FCA) will not require EU countries to collect tariffs on behalf of the UK) or else she failed to explain sufficiently clearly the point she was making. Lidington, a former Europe minister whose day job is now almost 90% taken up with Brexit, wasn’t glittering, but he seem to be better across the detail. In football terms, Thornberry was very good the PMQs set piece; the opening question. She also asked a very pertinent question about China, which Lidington did not really answer. But he clearly got the better of the exchanges on the FCA, he clobbered her with the Norway point at the end and his points about the inherent contradictions in Labour’s Brexit policy were sound.

Updated

Thornberry says the government could have taken a decisive step this week to protect jobs and trade. But the government has ended up with a dog’s Brexit, she says.

Lidington says Thornberry’s question implied she thinks Norway is in a customs union with the UK. It is not, he says. He says the government has provided a comprehensive set of proposals that will be good for the UK. Labour should support them, instead of carping from the sidelines.

Thornberry says the Chequers plan is total delusion. It is a customs union in all but name. But it does not cover services, she says. Why should a country like China agree to accept more UK services if the UK can’t take in more goods.

Lidington repeats his point about Thornberry misunderstanding the plan.

He says on services regulation is crucial. He says for the last 30 years the EU acquis [rulebook] has been stable. But that is not the case on services.

Thornberry says Lidington did not address the China point. There is an alternative that would cover goods and services. Instead of negotiating a half-baked version of the customs union, the government should get on an negotiate the real thing.

Lidington says Labour has to explain its plan. It says the UK would be able to strike new trade deals. But it couldn’t if, as the party proposes, it plans to stay bound by the common commercial policy. Labour used to say it accepted the result. But now they are toying with a second referendum, he says. That shows they don’t respect the result.

Thornberry says every EU state will have to apply the correct tariff for imports, depending on whether or not they are going to the UK or the EU. And they will have to track goods. How much will that cost?

Lidington says Thornberry is wrong. The customs plan will not affect imports or exports affecting the EU. It will affect imports from non-EU states. He says 96% of the UK goods trade will pay the correct tariff at the border, or none at all.

Thornberry says Lidington says the Chequers plan will involve no tracking of goods. That means, doesn’t it, the UK will continue exactly as now.

Lidington says May made it clear on Monday at the opportunities that new technology offers, and will offer in the future, to minimise friction on trade.

Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, wishes England good luck. She may know little about football, but even she can see what happens when people work together, when there is a clear game plan and when people respect the manager. What lessons could this team teach the government?

Lidington says the team can provide some lessons, on the importance of having a clear plan. Tomorrow the government will publish its plan for Brexit. What is Labour’s? That is one of the best kept secrets in politics?

Thornberry says: “Who does he think he is kidding?” Even Donald Trump can see Britain is in turmoil, and he has not got her.

She says the government looks like Reservoir Dogs remade by the Chuckle Brothers.

Lidington says the government’s plan will allow frictionless trade to continue. If Thornberry does not accept that, she must explain what Labour’s plan is.

Updated

John Bercow, the speaker, says two members of the Osmond family are in the gallery, Jay and Merrill.

Nigel Evans, a Conservative, says the Labour police commissioner in his area is closing police stations. Does Lidington agree that is wrong?

Lidington says police forces, including Lancashire’s, are getting more resources. He says decisions about closing stations are for chief constables.

The SNP’s Chris Stephens says, as a Scottish nationalist, he has no problem wishing well. He asks about the inquiry into the blood transfusion scandal.

Lidington says the government wants to ensure the inquiry has the resources it needs to complete its work as soon as possible.

At PMQs David Lidington starts by paying tribute to Lord Carrington, the former foreign secretary who died yesterday, and to the Thai authorities who led the cave rescue attempts.

And he wishes the England team well, saying that he has an England flag available for Emily Thornberry if she needs one.

This is what Theresa May said when she arrived at the Nato summit and was asked if she expected more resignations over Brexit. She said:

The Chequers deal is a plan that has been put together, it’s been agreed by government, we will be publishing our white paper this week which will set out more detail on it.

It’s there because it delivers on the vote that people gave on Brexit, it delivers the fact that we will have an end to free movement, we will have an end to the jurisdiction of the European court of justice in the UK, we won’t be sending vast contributions to the EU every year, we’ll be out of the common agricultural policy, out of the common fisheries policy.

We deliver that Brexit and we do it in a way that protects jobs and livelihoods and meets our commitment to Northern Ireland.

PMQs

PMQs is about to start.

David Lidington, the Cabinet Office minister and Theresa May’s de facto deputy, is standing in for the prime minister, who is at the Nato summit.

Merkel tells Trump Berlin not controlled by Russia, as East Germany was when she was growing up there

This is what Reuters has filed on Angela Merkel’s response to President Trump when she arrived at that Nato summit a few minutes ago.

Chancellor Angela Merkel recalled her own youth in Soviet-dominated East Germany and said Germany was independent in its policy choices in a pointed response to U.S. President Donald Trump saying Berlin was a “totally controlled by Russia”.

Three hours after Trump’s startling tirade over German imports of Russian gas and its slowness to increase defence spending, Merkel told reporters on arrival at a NATO summit in Brussels on Wednesday: “I have experienced myself how a part of Germany was controlled by the Soviet Union.

“I am very happy that today we are united in freedom, the Federal Republic of Germany. Because of that we can say that we can make our independent policies and make independent decisions. That is very good, especially for people in eastern Germany.”

She also defended Germany’s contribution to an alliance which Trump says has placed too much burden on the U.S. taxpayer: “Germany does a lot for NATO,” she said.

“Germany is the second largest provider of troops, the largest part of our military capacity is offered to NATO and until today we have a strong engagement towards Afghanistan. In that we also defend the interests of the United States.”

Updated

Britons have overwhelmingly negative view of Trump, with most thinking he makes world more dangerous, poll suggests

We have some new Guardian/ICM polling this week. Most of it is about President Trump, and in the unlikely event that he turns away from Fox News for a moment to read the Guardian’s Politics Live instead, he won’t be happy.

President Trump

We asked people whether they agreed or disagreed with nine statements about President Trump. The results were clear.

  • Britons have an overwhelmingly negative view of Donald Trump, a Guardian/ICM poll suggests, with a large majority of people saying that his presidency has made the world a more dangerous place. The survey also suggests that, by a margin of three to one, most Britons think he is dishonest and that they would not like someone like Trump as prime minister of Britain. On all nine statements public opinion is against him. Perhaps the one consolation is that only a third of Britons say he only became president because of Russian support. But they still outnumber the 28% who say he did not become president with Kremlin help. (This was the one question with the highest number of don’t knows.)

Here is a chart showing the results of the poll.

Polling on Trump
Polling on Trump

Here are the specific numbers.

Trump makes the world a more dangerous place

Agree: 63%

Disagree: 16%

He only won because of Russian support

Agree: 33%

Disagree: 28%

If he were PM Trump would make a success of Brexit

Agree: 29%

Disagree: 47%

He is a better leader than Theresa May

Agree: 23%

Disagree: 45%

He is doing a good job as President

Agree: 22%

Disagree: 53%

I’d like to see a politician like Trump as British PM

Agree: 20%

Disagree: 63%

Trump as President is good for the UK

Agree: 18%

Disagree: 53%

He is generally honest and tells the truth

Agree: 17%

Disagree: 60%

Politicians like Trump speak for people like me

Agree: 16%

Disagree: 62%

As ICM’s Alex Turk points out, once you take out the don’t knows, the figures look even worse for Trump.

Excluding those who don’t know, two-thirds (66%) would not like to see a politician like Trump as British Prime Minister, with the same proportion agreeing that Trump has made the world a more dangerous place. A similar proportion (64%) do not think he is generally honest and reliable at telling the truth. Of those expressing a view, a majority (57%) do not think Trump is good for the UK or is doing a good job as US president (56%).

Despite some negative views on Brexit and the country’s political leadership emerging from our recent polls, it’s clear that Brits overall don’t think Trump would do any better as British prime minister. While almost a third of those expressing a view think Trump would make a success of Brexit if he were British PM, a majority disagree with the claim. And despite recent speculation on Theresa May’s leadership, Brits still think she is a better leader than Trump. Excluding those answering ‘don’t know’, 1 in 4 (25%) agree that Trump is a better leader than May, compared to 48% who disagree with the claim.

Turk says there is a Brexit element in the results too.

It’s revealing to break down these results by EU referendum vote. Doing so shows that leavers are much more positive about Trump than remainers – and moreover, that it appears to be EU referendum vote rather than which party voted for at the previous general election that is more closely related to views on Trump.

Voting intention

And here are the voting intention figures, showing changes since the last Guardian/ICM poll two weeks ago.

  • The Conservatives have a two-point lead over Labour, the poll suggests.
Voting intention.
Voting intention.

ICM Unlimited interviewed a representative online sample of 2,013 adults aged 18+, between 6 and 9 July 2018. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

The full tables will go up on the ICM website later. I will post a link to them here when they are available.

UPDATE: Here are the tables (pdf).

Updated

Merkel hits back at Trump, stressing Germany is independent of Russia

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, has just arrived at the Nato summit.

Reuters has issued these snaps from what she said.

GERMANY’S MERKEL SAYS GERMANY DOES A LOT FOR NATO

GERMANY’S MERKEL SAYS I’M COUNTING ON CONTROVERSIAL DISCUSSIONS AT NATO SUMMIT

GERMANY NOW IS INDEPENDENT MERKEL SAYS RECALLING SOVIET CONTROL OF EAST

Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel Photograph: Nato

Theresa May has just arrived at the Nato summit. She was asked about President Trump’s threats to Nato and the attempts by Tory Brexiters to dismantle her Chequers plan, but she sidestepped both questions with rather bland answers.

But she did reveal that she has swapped football shirts with her Croatian opposite number.

I will post the quotes shortly.

More on what Trump is doing at the Nato summit. This is from the New York Times’ Julie Davis.

(I’ve never heard of a “pull-aside” meeting before. The British press would just refer to this as a bilateral. I’m not sure other leaders would be happy to hear they were being “pulled aside” by the president.)

Updated

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg refuses to say whether he thinks Trump’s stance is undermining Nato

More from the Stoltenberg event.

Q: Is the position of the US harming Nato cohesion? How sure are you that it is not undermining Nato cohesion?

Stoltenberg says he is not a pundit or a commentator. His task is to hold Nato together. He says it is not helpful for him to comment on what might happen.

  • Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg refuses to say whether he thinks Trump’s stance is undermining Nato.

Jens Stoltenberg would have been expecting President Trump to criticise European countries for not spending enough on defence but he seemed taken aback by the vehemence of it (see 9.15am and 10.10am) and looked uncomfortable when he spoke to journalists in Brussels about their breakfast meeting. He said the American president had been “frank” and “direct”.

At the end of Trump’s comments, the Nato secretary-general offered a mild defence of Germany preparing to do a deal with Russia over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

“Even during the Cold War, Nato allies were trading with Russia,” Stoltenberg said.

His press conference later in the morning (see 10.20am) was dominated by questions about Trump and spending, with only a few questions towards the end about Iraq and Afghanistan.

At this Nato event Stoltenberg says that the trade war between the US and the EU has not so far impacted on Nato. But that could change in the future, he says.

Woody Johnson, the US ambassador to London, told the Today programme this morning that he will set up a meeting for Donald Trump with Britain’s former foreign secretary Boris Johnson should the president wish to see him on his visit to the UK, my colleague Jessica Elgot reports.

Jens Stoltenberg is now being interviewed by an American journalist at the Nato summit.

There is a live feed here.

Asked about his breakfast with President Trump, Stoltenberg says it was a good breakfast, “paid for by the United States”.

Q: Is Trump committed to Nato?

Stoltenberg says Trump has said many times he is committed to Nato. He also says Trump has stressed his commitment to article 5, the mutual defence clause.

Q: Is Trump just engaging in political theatre when he criticises Nato? Does he really understand Nato?

Stoltenberg says his main task is to keep Nato together. He says he is not sure whether it is helpful to speculate on the motives of domestic leaders.

Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, is now making an opening speech at the start of the summit.

He repeats the point he made earlier about how Nato is now increasing defence spending. (See 10.20am.)

He says he knows that politicians like to spend money on priorities like health, instead of defence. He used to be a politician himself, he says. He says he knows how to cut defence spending because that is what he did.

But, as prime minister of Norway, he increased defence spending as well as cutting it, he says.

Jens Stoltenberg delivering opening address at Nato summit
Jens Stoltenberg delivering opening address at Nato summit Photograph: Nato

President Donald Trump (right) and US secretary of state Mike Pompeo reflected in a mirror as they attend at a breakfast meeting with the NATO secretary general and staff at the US chief of mission’s residence in Brussels
President Donald Trump (right) and US secretary of state Mike Pompeo reflected in a mirror as they attend at a breakfast meeting with the NATO secretary general and staff at the US chief of mission’s residence in Brussels Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Nato chief says alliance has 'turned a corner' and is increasing defence spending

At the Nato summit in Brussels Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general, gave a press briefing a few minutes ago, where he was asked, among other things, about his tricky breakfast meeting with Donald Trump. (See 9.15am and 10.10am.) This is what he said about it.

It was a meeting where President Trump and I addressed the topics we will discuss during our summit today. Of course President Trump has very direct language, and a message on defence spending. But fundamentally we all agree. All allies agree that we need fair burden-sharing in the alliance. That is exactly why all allies agreed that those who are spending less than 2% have to spend more. And that’s exactly what we are starting to do.

We have turned a corner after years of cutting defence budgets. All allies have now started to increase [defence spending] and we had the biggest increase in defence spending across Europe and Canada last year, and more allies spent 2% of GDP on defence.

Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general
Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general Photograph: Nato

Trump says Germany is a 'captive of Russia'

Here are some more quotes from what Donald Trump said this morning about Germany and the Nord Stream gas pipeline from Russia. He said:

I think it is very sad when Germany makes a massive oil and gas deal with Russia. We are supposed to be guarding against Russia and Germany goes out and pays billions and billions dollars a year to Russia. We are protecting Germany, we are protecting France, we are protecting all of these countries and then numerous of the countries go out and make a pipeline deal with Russia where they are paying billions of dollars into the coffers of Russia. I think that is very inappropriate.

It should never have been allowed to happen. Germany is totally controlled by Russia because they will be getting 60 to 70% of their energy from Russia and a new pipeline. You tell me if that’s appropriate because I think it’s not. On top of that Germany is just paying just a little bit over 1% whereas the United States is paying 4.2% of a much larger GDP. So I think that’s inappropriate also.

Trump also said that current Nato plans to increase spending were not sufficient. (The US ambassador to London was right - see 9.15am.) Trump said:

I think that these countries have to step it up not over a 10-year period, they have to step it up immediately. Germany is a rich country. They talk about they are going to increase it a tiny bit by 2030. They could increase it immediately tomorrow and have no problem. We are going to have to do something. We can’t put up with it.

Germany is a captive of Russia. They got rid of their coal plants, they got rid of their nuclear - they are getting so much of the oil and gas from Russia.

Donald Trump and NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg attend a bilateral breakfast ahead of the NATO Summit in Brussels.
Donald Trump and NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg attend a bilateral breakfast ahead of the NATO Summit in Brussels. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Updated

President Trump has been tweeting about his meeting with Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, in Brussels this morning. This clip shows him renewing his criticism of Germany. (See 9.15am.)

'Will EU countries reimburse US for defence costs?' - Trump intensifies Nato criticism

Theresa May is in Brussels today for the Nato summit. Last week’s Brexit meeting at Chequers may have been a challenge, but today’s gathering could be even more fractious, because Donald Trump has been ramping up his criticism of Nato ahead of his arrival.

He posted these tweets last night.

And on his arrival in Brussels, as the Press Association reports, he launched a fresh attack on Germany for its failure to contribute more to Nato. He said it was “totally inappropriate” that Germany was paying billions of dollars to Russia for oil and gas while spending little over 1% of its GDP on defence. He claimed that the deal meant that Germany was now “totally controlled” by Moscow. And he went on:

I think it is very sad when Germany makes a massive oil and gas deal with Russia. We are supposed to be guarding against Russia and Germany goes out and pays billions and billions dollars a year to Russia.

We are protecting Germany, we are protecting France, we are protecting all of these countries and then numerous of the countries go out and make a pipeline deal with Russia where they are paying billions of dollars into the coffers of Russia. I think that is very inappropriate.

It should never have been allowed to happen. Germany is totally controlled by Russia because they will be getting 60 to 70% of their energy from Russia and a new pipeline.

You tell me if that’s appropriate because I think it’s not. On top of that Germany is just paying just a little bit over 1% whereas the United States is paying 4.2% of a much larger GDP. So I think that’s inappropriate also.

Here is our story about Trump’s latest outburst.

Woody Johnson, the US ambassador to the UK, was on the Today programme this morning. He was asked if Trump would be satisfied by the promises already made by Nato countries in Europe to increase defence spending. He replied:

I doubt it, quite frankly. It’s come down pretty dramatically since the Cold War when everyone was spending in excess of 3%, and the world is not getting to be safer by the day.It’s probably more challenging so I think the president recognises those challenges and recognises the concept of being prepared. I don’t think he feels that easing into it over the long term is the right way to go, but the president will make his own statements on that.

All this, plus Brexit, of course. Here is the agenda for the day.

9.30am: Michael Gove, the environment secretary, gives evidence to the Commons environmental audit committee.

9.30am: Esther McVey, the work and pensions secretary, gives evidence to the Commons work and pensions committee about disability employment.

11am: Nato leaders arrive at the Nato HQ in Brussels for their summit. Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, holds a press conference at 4.15pm.

12pm: David Lidington, the Cabinet Office minister, faces Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, at PMQs. It is a day for the stand-ins because Theresa May is at the Nato summit.

Around 1pm: MPs begin a debate on a Labour motion saying Esther McVey’s salary should be cut because of her handling of universal credit.

2.30pm: Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, gives evidence to the Commons international trade committee.

As usual, I will also be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web. I plan to post a summary at lunchtime and another at the end of the day.

You can read all today’s Guardian politics stories here.

Here is the Politico Europe round-up of this morning’s political news from Jack Blanchard. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads.

If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow.

I try to monitor the comments BTL but normally I find it impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer direct questions, although sometimes I miss them or don’t have time.

If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter.

Updated

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