Trump warns Starmer must sort 2 issues now as beleaguered PM hangs on | Politics | News
Asked whether he believed the Prime Minister could survive, Mr Trump said: “That’s a tough one if he can’t fix immigration, which is his weakness, and if he doesn’t start drilling, he’ll shut down the windmills that are causing damage everywhere.” Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as he returned from a three-day visit to China, the US president, who has a tense relationship with Sir Keir over the US-Israeli war in Iran and his refusal to use RAF bases for strikes, renewed his attacks on Sir Keir’s weak government.
This week he said Sir Keir was a “good man” after seeing an imminent threat to his leadership, but pointed out the urgent need to address migration and accelerate North Sea drilling to help the fight for survival.
“He needs to open the North Sea,” he said. “It has one of the largest oil finds anywhere in the world and it’s not using it.”
Mr Trump had previously warned that Starmer would “die by energy” if he did not increase oil extraction, adding that he was “destroying the country with the wind”.
It came after Mr Trump expressed anger that countries including the UK did not support US-Israeli attacks on Iran, telling Sir Keir: “There is no Winston Churchill”.
The US President’s damning assessment comes a day after Wes Streeting announced that Health Secretary and leadership rival Andy Burnham is seeking a return to the House of Commons, which is expected to pave the way for a challenge to the Prime Minister. The Greater Manchester mayor said he wanted to return to Westminster to “make politics work properly for people” after Makerfield Labor MP Josh Simons said he would stand down so Mr Burnham could “initiate the change our country is crying out for”.
A Labor Party spokesman said on Thursday evening: “Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee, today gave Andy Burnham permission to take part in the candidate selection process in the upcoming by-election for the Makerfield constituency.”
