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Politics17 outlets ran this5 min read

Ed Miliband meets Marco Rubio in Washington amid past Trump criticism

The UK Foreign Secretary discussed the Strait of Hormuz, Ukraine and Gaza but avoided questions about his 2016 remarks

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
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What this story says

  • Ed Miliband met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on 5 August 2026 to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, Ukraine and Gaza.
  • Milband avoided questions about his 2016 description of Donald Trump as 'racist, misogynistic, self-confessed groper'.
  • The White House reportedly had concerns about Miliband’s appointment as Foreign Secretary, according to multiple outlets.
  • Milband will also meet World Bank President Ajay Banga to discuss climate change and global resilience.

Who covered it

Left 33%(5)Centre 47%(7)Right 20%(3)

Percentages are shares of the 15 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 2 of the 17 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

74/100

Craft

58/100

Hype

32/100

17 sources · methodology

UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on 5 August 2026. The meeting followed their first encounter at a foreign ministers’ summit in the Philippines in July 2026. Miliband and Rubio discussed efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the war in Ukraine, and the situation in Gaza, according to statements from both sides.

Reporters asked Miliband about his past criticism of Donald Trump, including a 2016 remark in which he called the then-presidential candidate 'a racist, misogynistic, self-confessed groper'. Miliband did not respond to the questions. The Herald Scotland reported that he smiled and said, 'We are looking forward to our meeting,' before entering the US State Department.

The White House had reportedly expressed concerns about Miliband’s appointment as Foreign Secretary, as reported by the Gazette-News, The National, burytimes.co.uk, theboltonnews.co.uk and The Independent. Miliband’s previous role as Energy Secretary included strong advocacy for net-zero policies, which conflict with Trump’s support for fossil fuels. Washington’s ambassador to the UK, Warren Stephens, had previously said Miliband was 'wrong' to call Trump a racist and expressed hope that his views had changed.

After the meeting, Miliband issued a statement calling the UK and US 'the closest of allies' and emphasising their shared commitment to NATO. He highlighted the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz for British families and businesses, as well as the need to support Ukraine and address the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Rubio posted on X that they had discussed Europe taking a greater role in its own security and preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Miliband will also meet World Bank President Ajay Banga during his visit to discuss development, climate change and global resilience, as reported by The Herald Scotland.

What the coverage left out

None of the right-rated digests mentioned the topics discussed in the meeting, including the Strait of Hormuz, Ukraine or Gaza. None of the centre-rated digests quoted Miliband’s past remarks on Trump in full, though iNews referenced them. The left-rated digests from The Independent (US) and The National did not mention Miliband’s meeting with World Bank President Ajay Banga.

Tags:#UKForeignPolicy#USUKRelations#EdMiliband#MarcoRubio#StraitOfHormuz#UkraineWar

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 6 times, most recently on 6 Aug 2026, 03:30, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

5 rated outlets

  • The left-rated reports led on Miliband’s avoidance of questions about his past criticism of Donald Trump. The Herald Scotland, the only left-rated outlet with a full report, quoted Miliband’s 2016 remarks in full and described him as 'ducking' shouted inquiries from reporters. It also noted the White House’s reported concerns about his appointment and the contrast between his net-zero advocacy and Trump’s fossil-fuel policies.
  • The Independent (US) and The National carried digests that mentioned Miliband’s statement calling the UK and US 'the closest of allies' but did not quote his past remarks on Trump. The Independent (US) led with Miliband’s avoidance of the questions, while The National’s digest repeated the White House concerns.

Centre

7 rated outlets

  • The centre-rated digests focused on the topics discussed in the meeting. The Hill, Gazette-News, burytimes.co.uk, theboltonnews.co.uk, WTVB and the Evening Standard all mentioned the Strait of Hormuz, Ukraine and Gaza as key subjects. WTVB and the Evening Standard also noted Rubio’s call for Europe to take a greater role in its own security.
  • Five of the seven centre-rated digests, Gazette-News, The National, burytimes.co.uk, theboltonnews.co.uk and The Independent, mentioned the White House’s reported concerns about Miliband’s appointment. iNews led with the potential consequences of Miliband’s past remarks, framing them as a shadow over his visit.

Right

3 rated outlets

  • The right-rated digests led on Miliband’s past criticism of Trump. GB News framed the meeting as Miliband ‘escaping’ a ‘dressing-down’ from Rubio over his remarks, while the Daily Express described him as bracing for a 'frosty' meeting after calling Trump 'a racist, misogynistic self-confessed groper'. Neither digest mentioned the topics discussed in the meeting.

Read it at the source

17 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

5

Centre

7

Right

3

Not rated

2

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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