US President Donald Trump has added to the pressure on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, blasting his record on migration and energy in a social media post before the British leader announced his resignation on Monday. Trump’s remarks come amid souring US-UK relations over the Iran war, while the US State Department has accused the UK of “two-tier policing.”
In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump declared that Starmer would resign and said the Labour leader “failed badly on two very important subjects – IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!). I wish him well!”
Commenting on Trump’s remarks, British broadcaster Piers Morgan said the fact that the US president had announced the UK leader’s resignation before Starmer himself had done so was “the final humiliation.”
Starmer confirmed on Monday that he will stand down as prime minister and Labour leader, but said he will remain in his post until a party leadership contest is complete.
Pressure on Starmer has built since Labour lost almost 1,500 council seats in local elections in May, with over 80 Labour MPs subsequently calling for him to go. The crisis deepened after Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham – who was not yet sworn in as a member of Parliament – won a decisive by-election victory in Makerfield last Thursday, taking nearly 55% of the vote and emerging as the chief contender to replace Starmer.
The Starmer government has also been beset by numerous scandals, including the appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US despite his past ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. It was also plagued by the reemergence of ‘grooming gang’ cover-up accusations.
Last month, the US State Department accused Britain of “two-tiered policing” after bodycam footage showed officers handcuffing 18-year-old Polish-British university student Henry Nowak as he died, while his killer – a 23-year-old Sikh – claimed to be the victim of a racist attack.
Trump and Starmer’s relationship also frayed over the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, with the UK prime minister initially blocking US use of the Diego Garcia base in the Chagos Islands to attack the country. At one point, Trump said Starmer is “not Winston Churchill.”