minadU.S. President Donald Trump declared Sunday that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will resign, as reports mounted that the Labour leader could announce his departure as early as Monday.
“Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, though it remains unclear whether he had advance knowledge of any plans or was merely echoing widespread speculation. The British agency PA Media noted that Trump had not spoken with Starmer since the two met at the G7 summit in France earlier this week.
(Image: Carl Court/PA Wire)
In his post, Trump was sharply critical of the centre-left Labour leader, blaming policy failures for his political downfall. “He failed miserably on two very important issues: IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY,” Trump wrote, adding a characteristic call for Britain to “DRILL BABY DRILL IN THE NORTH SEA.” The U.S. president has long pressured London to lift its freeze on new North Sea oil and gas licences, and has also taken aim at the country’s expanding wind energy sector.
Despite once being dubbed the “Trump whisperer” for his ability to maintain a working relationship with the White House, Starmer has more recently drawn repeated criticism from Trump, including over the conflict with Iran.
Responding to Trump’s remarks, a Downing Street spokesperson pointed reporters to comments Starmer made on Friday. “There is much left to do, and that is what I am focused on — what I was elected to do, which is to serve my country,” the Prime Minister said, declining to add anything further.
(Image: Peter Macdiarmid/Pool Photo via AP)
Peter Kyle, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, told the BBC on Sunday that Starmer was reflecting on “political realities” over the weekend and would do “what is best for the country.”
British media are broadly reporting that Starmer is set to announce his resignation on Monday, with attention now turning to Andy Burnham — the outgoing Mayor of Manchester and recent by-election victor — as a frontrunner to succeed him.
