[h=3]By SARA MURRAY[/h]LONDON—After months on the campaign trail bashing the way Europe manages its economy, Republican Mitt Romney shied away from policy criticisms in a round of meetings with U.K. officials Thursday, as he kicked off his overseas tour.
"While I'm on foreign soil, I'm very careful not to be critical of my own government's policies. I would be even more remiss if I were to be critical of any other government's policies," Mr. Romney said when journalists pressed him and opposition Labour Party leader Ed Miliband about the government's focus on austerity measures as growth falters. Mr. Romney also is set to meet with Prime Minister David Cameron.
The all-but-official Republican nominee has advocated for sharp spending cuts in the U.S. and has consistently warned that America is on a "path to become more and more like Europe" with slow growth and large deficits.
The visit comes as austerity plans, designed to combat wide budget deficits, have already begun to smart here. The U.K.'s economy contracted 0.7% between April and June, a steep drop that adds fuel to the debate over the wisdom of spending cuts. Catching much of the heat is Treasury chief George Osborne, whom Mr. Romney will meet with Thursday afternoon.
London marks the first stop on Mr. Romney's three-country foreign tour, which is expected to be heavy on fanfare and light on foreign policy. The Republican began his round of official visits with a meeting with former Prime Minister Tony Blair Thursday morning, where the two steered clear of policy issues in public, instead focusing on their Olympic plans.
"My wife has a horse competing in the equestrian events, in dressage," Mr. Romney told the former Labour prime minister. "Her horse was chosen number three of all the U.S. horses, so she's very pleased to be a part of that."
Mr. Romney added that he also hoped to attend a swimming event, while Mr. Blair said the country had recently become interested in cycling.
In the private portion of their meeting, the two discussed the Middle East peace process and the increasingly tense situations in Syria and Iran, according to aides. They also spoke about both America and England's economic woes.
The Obama campaign has been intensely critical of Mr. Romney's trip, pressing him to divulge more policy specifics. Officials noted that Mr. Obama's overseas trip in 2008 included a host of press conferences, visits to Arab countries and meetings with the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Mr. Romney doesn't plan to travel to either war zone and so far there are no plans to meet with U.S. troops.
"The question I think for governor Romney is whether this trip will be similarly substantive, and live up to the bar that was set in 2008, or whether this is one long photo-op and fundraising tour," said Robert Gibbs, a senior adviser to the Obama campaign.
While the optics of the London leg of the journey are expected to be a boon for Mr. Romney, who helped salvage the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, he's faced a handful of complications. One of his prominent fundraisers, former Barclays Chief Executive Robert Diamond, is no longer working with the campaign following his resignation from the London-based bank, which admitted to interfering with global interest rates.
And upon arrival in London, Mr. Romney was met with a story in one of the U.K.'s biggest newspapers in which an unnamed Romney advisers is quoted as saying the White House doesn't understand America's "Anglo-Saxon heritage." The Romney campaign called the comment a "false quote."
Mr. Romney also stirred the British press with comments in an NBC News interview Wednesday evening, by indicating he wasn't sure if London was fully prepared for the Olympic Games.
"It's hard to know just how well it...will turn out," Mr. Romney said in the interview. "There are a few things that were disconcerting, the stories about the private security firm not having enough people, the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials, that obviously is not something which is encouraging."
Mr. Romney said the success of the games will depend on the athletes, volunteers and citizens uniting for the moment.
"Do they come together and celebrate the Olympic moment?" Mr. Romney said. "That's something which we only find out once the games actually begin."
Later Thursday, Mr. Romney will also meet with Mr. Cameron, the Conservative prime minister, at 10 Downing Street before attending a fundraising reception at $2,500 per ticket and a dinner for high-dollar donors who contribute $25,000 to $75,000 per person.
Mr. Romney is joined on the trip by former Missouri Sen. Jim Talent, who advises the campaign on both foreign policy and economic issues, as well as former Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, a foreign-policy adviser to the campaign. Three of the Romney sons—Tagg, Josh and Craig—will join Mr. Romney and wife Ann Romney in London.
Write to Sara Murray at [email protected]
"While I'm on foreign soil, I'm very careful not to be critical of my own government's policies. I would be even more remiss if I were to be critical of any other government's policies," Mr. Romney said when journalists pressed him and opposition Labour Party leader Ed Miliband about the government's focus on austerity measures as growth falters. Mr. Romney also is set to meet with Prime Minister David Cameron.
The all-but-official Republican nominee has advocated for sharp spending cuts in the U.S. and has consistently warned that America is on a "path to become more and more like Europe" with slow growth and large deficits.
The visit comes as austerity plans, designed to combat wide budget deficits, have already begun to smart here. The U.K.'s economy contracted 0.7% between April and June, a steep drop that adds fuel to the debate over the wisdom of spending cuts. Catching much of the heat is Treasury chief George Osborne, whom Mr. Romney will meet with Thursday afternoon.
London marks the first stop on Mr. Romney's three-country foreign tour, which is expected to be heavy on fanfare and light on foreign policy. The Republican began his round of official visits with a meeting with former Prime Minister Tony Blair Thursday morning, where the two steered clear of policy issues in public, instead focusing on their Olympic plans.
"My wife has a horse competing in the equestrian events, in dressage," Mr. Romney told the former Labour prime minister. "Her horse was chosen number three of all the U.S. horses, so she's very pleased to be a part of that."
Mr. Romney added that he also hoped to attend a swimming event, while Mr. Blair said the country had recently become interested in cycling.
In the private portion of their meeting, the two discussed the Middle East peace process and the increasingly tense situations in Syria and Iran, according to aides. They also spoke about both America and England's economic woes.
The Obama campaign has been intensely critical of Mr. Romney's trip, pressing him to divulge more policy specifics. Officials noted that Mr. Obama's overseas trip in 2008 included a host of press conferences, visits to Arab countries and meetings with the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Mr. Romney doesn't plan to travel to either war zone and so far there are no plans to meet with U.S. troops.
"The question I think for governor Romney is whether this trip will be similarly substantive, and live up to the bar that was set in 2008, or whether this is one long photo-op and fundraising tour," said Robert Gibbs, a senior adviser to the Obama campaign.
While the optics of the London leg of the journey are expected to be a boon for Mr. Romney, who helped salvage the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, he's faced a handful of complications. One of his prominent fundraisers, former Barclays Chief Executive Robert Diamond, is no longer working with the campaign following his resignation from the London-based bank, which admitted to interfering with global interest rates.
And upon arrival in London, Mr. Romney was met with a story in one of the U.K.'s biggest newspapers in which an unnamed Romney advisers is quoted as saying the White House doesn't understand America's "Anglo-Saxon heritage." The Romney campaign called the comment a "false quote."
Mr. Romney also stirred the British press with comments in an NBC News interview Wednesday evening, by indicating he wasn't sure if London was fully prepared for the Olympic Games.
"It's hard to know just how well it...will turn out," Mr. Romney said in the interview. "There are a few things that were disconcerting, the stories about the private security firm not having enough people, the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials, that obviously is not something which is encouraging."
Mr. Romney said the success of the games will depend on the athletes, volunteers and citizens uniting for the moment.
"Do they come together and celebrate the Olympic moment?" Mr. Romney said. "That's something which we only find out once the games actually begin."
Later Thursday, Mr. Romney will also meet with Mr. Cameron, the Conservative prime minister, at 10 Downing Street before attending a fundraising reception at $2,500 per ticket and a dinner for high-dollar donors who contribute $25,000 to $75,000 per person.
Mr. Romney is joined on the trip by former Missouri Sen. Jim Talent, who advises the campaign on both foreign policy and economic issues, as well as former Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, a foreign-policy adviser to the campaign. Three of the Romney sons—Tagg, Josh and Craig—will join Mr. Romney and wife Ann Romney in London.
Write to Sara Murray at [email protected]