Romney to meet with British officials next week

Mitt Romney, who is traveling to London next week to raise money and meet with senior British officials, may get time with British Prime Minister David Cameron. CARL COURT/AFP/Getty

By Matt Viser

July 1, 2011

2 minutes to read

WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney is planning to meet next week with a top British official next week during a trip to London — and could end up with a tete-a-tete with Prime Minister David Cameron.

It is another indication of the former Massachusetts governor’s strong standing in the Republican primary field, and his desire to have more of a statesmen’s platform.

Romney is planning to meet on Thursday with Peter Ricketts, who is currently the national security advisor but next year will become Britain’s Ambassador to France.

A British official said that Cameron planned to drop by that meeting, if his scheduled allowed.

“It’s not a meeting specifically set up between the [Prime Minister] and Mr. Romney,’’ the official said. “The PM, if diary permits, will clearly try and drop in on that meeting.’’

The Globe reported last week that Romney was going to London – one of the banking capitals of the world — to raise money from wealthy Americans abroad, a rare step for a presidential candidate so early in a campaign.

The fundraiser was originally scheduled to be held at the home of Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, but was moved across town when the campaign found out that she was going to support one of Romney’s GOP rivals Jon Huntsman, Jr.

It is unclear whether Romney has any other meetings scheduled during his trip to London, including one with former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

“We’re going to be meeting with a number of senior officials over two days,’’ said Mitchell Reiss, one of Romney’s foreign advisers. “But that’s all I can say at this time.’’

The fact that Romney, who has little foreign policy experience, is able to meet with several dignitaries of one of America’s most important allies reaffirms Romney’s preeminence in the Republican primary field. It could help him start to fill one of the biggest gaps in his political resume: foreign policy.

But it doesn’t come without some irony. Even while he has sought meetings with high-level figures abroad, Romney has repeatedly criticized President Obama for adopting policies that he disparages as being “European.’’

“The President seems to take his inspiration not from the small towns and villages of New Hampshire but from the capitals of Europe,’’ Romney said last month in his announcement speech in Stratham, N.H. “With the economy in crisis, his answer is to borrow money we can’t afford and throw it at Washington bureaucrats and politicians. Just like Europe.’’

The Romney campaign also recently ran an ad called “Obama isn’t working’’ that is a play off of the British ad, run by Conservative Party’s Margaret Thatcher, that said, “Labour isn’t working.’’