Sir Keir Starmer is no longer the Trump whisperer

David Maddox, The Independent

It wasn't long ago that Sir Keir Starmer was being hailed on the international stage for his skill as a “Trump whisperer.” The prime minister was the envy of his international allies for his ability to, against the odds, develop a strong relationship with the famously volatile US president. But the interviews that the US president has given in the last 48 hours to the Daily Telegraph and The Sun, in which he criticised Sir Keir's refusal to allow attacks on Iran to be launched from RAF bases and the UK's decision not to join the raids, surely marks the end of the relationship.

The killer line was the president's almost wistful reflection that the relationship was "not what it was" — with more than a hint that any damage may be irreparable. Words like "disappointing" and "far too late" (in regards to allowing the US to use RAF bases) suggest a certain regret in Trump's tone rather than his usual bombastic attack style. Nevertheless it appears to be over. Sir Keir is no longer the Trump whisperer, he is consigned to a list of world leaders who regularly receive the ire of the current occupant of the Oval Office. And the biggest loser in all this is the UK in terms of trade and influence.

President Trump had been willing to put aside ideological differences with Starmer, partly because he respected 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 achieved diplomatically early on because of Trump's desire to ensure his state visit was a huge success and part of his legacy. The strategy had been that King Charles' planned visit to the US for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence would help Starmer to persuade the president to be more amenable on issues like handing over Chagos to the Mauritians, being reasonable in respects to Ukraine and the Middle East, and not imposing trade tariffs on Britain along with the rest of the world.

But already issues like handing over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, Starmer's refusal to support Trump's claims on Greenland and the US trade tariffs had poisoned what had been a 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 seems that the UK is not going to escape the reworked tariffs and that carefully negotiated first trade deal is looking more like it is not worth the paper it is written on with each passing day.

The decision to ignore and then deplore Starmer over attacking Iran is perhaps most symbolic of the way the prime minister's restraining influence has now evaporated.

The reason for the collapse in the relationship is complex though. It partly relates to the ongoing anger over the mistake made by the prime minister of appointing Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US against the wishes of the Trump White House. Having a man who was seen as a friend of both Jeffrey Epstein and China in Washington has not gone down well.

It also relates to the collapse in Sir Keir's own popularity and authority domestically. The Trump administration had put aside its support for Nigel Farage to a certain extent in the early days, but they are as aware as anyone that Starmer's days as PM appear to be numbered.

The issues about free speech have become incredibly corrosive too. Just last month, the far right activist Tommy Robinson was welcomed to the State Department as a "freedom fighter" in what illustrates a growing trend. This followed Trump allies in the UK feeding his administration names of people to deny visas to and sanction in regards to being alleged "enemies of free speech".

It is now clear that massaging the ego of the quixotic Trump only goes so far. So while Sir Keir has acted reasonably throughout that has gone down badly in the White House. The disagreement over Trump's claim to Greenland may have been seen as the beginning of the end but the truth is that the relationship had already hit the rocks.