Donald Trump will only listen to one Brit - and it's a total humiliation for Keir Starmer
The Prime Minister's approach to dealing with the US President seemed to work at first, but things have changed.
Sir Keir Starmer’s charm offensive on Donald Trump seemed to be working at first. The peak was probably the Prime Minister presenting the US President with a letter from King Charles III inviting him to the UK, and the resultant lavish state visit. The Government emerged very satisfied, boasting a £150billion investment deal.
Even though this only happened in September, No. 10 and the White House are now operating in a very different political reality. On Wednesday, Trump warned that he could rip up the trade deal between the US and Britain after growing frustrated at Starmer’s unwillingness to get involved in the war in the Middle East.
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The President told Sky News: “It’s the relationship where, when we asked them for help, they were not there. When we needed them, they were not there. When we didn’t need them, they were not there. And they still aren’t there.”
In March, Trump said in front of a bust of Britain’s leader during World War 2 in the Oval Office: “We're not dealing with Winston Churchill here, are we?”
Rightly, the Prime Minister has stood firm on his commitment to stay out of the conflict - only acting, he says, in a defensive capacity.
On Wednesday, the Prime Minister told MPs: "It is not our war, and a lot of pressure has been applied to me to take a different course, and that pressure included what happened last night.
“I'm not going to change my mind. I'm not going to yield.”
This is his Harold Wilson moment: the former Labour leader refusing to be drawn into the Vietnam War, despite being implored to do so by Lyndon Johnson.
But, thankfully, Starmer is not the only person the UK has at its disposal.
King Charles III is being dispatched to Washington DC, for the first state visit by a British monarch since his mother dropped by in 2007.
Perhaps surprisingly, Trump seems to know how our constitutional monarchy works.
He said that he’s “known the King for a long time”, adding a telling six words: “He's not involved in that process.”
The President said this after being asked whether his “strained relationship” with Starmer could affect his relationship with the King or his visit.
Turbulence in the special relationship will be mostly forgotten when the King and Queen arrive at the end of this month, replaced with speeches about the importance of cross-Atlantic collaboration, reflecting on 250 years of American independence.
The sovereign is indeed above politics, which is their modern function. It’s why they are respected across the world.
The throne is an island of dignity in a world that’s becoming more and more undignified.
Donald Trump is like a magpie, attracted to anything shiny and prestigious, which the crown is.
Nothing in the country has as much, as younger people say nowadays, aura. The Prime Minister can only dream of being held in such regard.
Which is why we would be foolish to get rid of it.
It’s an asset. Without the Firm, the UK would be just another middle-power republic, ruled over by President Sir Keir Starmer, with much less draw and influence.
Can you imagine that? I can’t.
