End of a special relationship: Why it is over between Starmer and Trump
IIt wasn’t so long ago that Sir Keir Starmer was acclaimed on the international stage as the “Trump whisperer”.
The prime minister was the envy of his international allies for his ability, against all odds, to develop a strong relationship with the notoriously unstable US president.
But the interviews the US president has given in the last 48 hours Daily Telegraph And Sun, The speech in which he criticized Sir Keir’s refusal to allow attacks on Iran from RAF bases and Britain’s decision not to participate in the raids certainly marks the end of the relationship.
The killer line was the president’s almost wistful reflection that the relationship “isn’t what it used to be”; Moreover, there was also the implication that any damage might be irreparable.
Phrases such as “disappointing” and “too late” (on allowing the US to use RAF bases) suggest a certain regret in Trump’s tone rather than his usual over-the-top attack style.
But it still looks like it’s over. Sir Keir is no longer a Trump whisperer, having been included in the list of world leaders who regularly draw the ire of the current owner of the Oval Office.
And the biggest loser in all of this, in terms of trade and influence, was England.
President Trump has been willing to put aside his ideological differences with Starmer, partly because he respects him as a politician, but largely because of his love for the country of his Scottish mother’s birth and its royal family.
Much was accomplished diplomatically early on due to Trump’s desire to ensure that his state visit was a great success and part of his legacy.
The strategy was that King Charles’s planned visit to the US for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence would help Starmer persuade the president to be more accommodating on issues such as handing over Chagos to the Mauritians, being reasonable on Ukraine and the Middle East, and not imposing trade tariffs on Britain along with the rest of the world.
However, issues such as the transfer of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, Starmer’s refusal to support Trump’s claims regarding Greenland, and US trade tariffs had poisoned this already very positive relationship.
In fact, Trump has told allies that he was “lied to” about the Chagos deal and now sees it as a threat to US security.
It looks like the UK won’t be able to escape revised tariffs, and the carefully negotiated first trade deal looks more and more like it won’t be worth the paper it’s written on.
The decision to ignore Starmer over his attack on Iran, and then feel sorry for him, is perhaps the most symbolic example of how the prime minister’s restraining influence has now evaporated.
The reason for the collapse in the relationship is complex. This is partly related to ongoing anger over the Prime Minister’s mistake in appointing Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States against the wishes of the Trump White House. The presence in Washington of a man seen as a friend of both Jeffrey Epstein and China did not go over well.
This also relates to the collapse of Sir Keir’s popularity and authority within the country. The Trump administration had to some extent set aside their support for Nigel Farage in the early days, but they are as aware as anyone that Starmer’s days as Prime Minister are numbered.
The issues surrounding freedom of expression have also become incredibly vexing. Just last month, far-right activist Tommy Robinson was hailed as a “freedom fighter,” demonstrating a growing trend at the State Department. It comes after Trump’s allies in the UK gave his administration the names of people to deny visas and impose sanctions on alleged “enemies of free speech”.
It is now clear that massaging the quixotic Trump’s ego can only go so far. Although Sir Keir was reasonable from the start, this situation went down badly in the White House.
The dispute over Trump’s claim to Greenland could be seen as the beginning of the end, but the truth is that the relationship was already on the rocks.
But the problem for the prime minister is that without the ability to deal with this president, he will lose the one thing that made his premiership a success. He is no longer a bridge between Trump and other Western allies, but merely one of the floundering international leaders on the White House’s naughty list.
But there appears to be no way back for Sir Keir unless, like Farage, he wants to become a puppet of Trump’s whims.
The only hope is that the King’s visit on July 4th still provides a moment of healing. But by then a different prime minister may be trying to establish a relationship with the president.
