When asked if he thought the Prime Minister could survive, Mr Trump said: “It’s a tough thing unless he can straighten out immigration, where he’s weak, and if he doesn’t start drilling, stop with the windmills all over the place that are causing havoc.” Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One as he returned from his three-day visit to China, the US president – who has had a tense relationship with Sir Keir over the US-Israeli war in Iran and the refusal for him to use RAF bases to launch strikes – renewed his attacks on Sir Keir’s frail Government.
He said Sir Keir was a “nice man” after he saw off an imminent threat to his leadership this week, but pointed to the need to urgently sort out immigration and boost North Sea drilling to aid any bid for survival.
“He’s got to open up the North Sea,” he said. “He’s got one of the greatest oil finds anywhere in the world, and he’s not using it.”
Mr Trump had previously warned that Starmer was “getting killed on energy” by not ramping up oil extraction, adding that he was “windmilling the country to death.”
This comes after Mr Trump calling Sir Keir “no Winston Churchill” as he expressed anger that countries, including the UK, did not back US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
The US President’s damming assessment comes just a day after Wes Streeting resigned as Health Secretary and leadership rival Andy Burnham announced he is seeking a return to the Commons in what is expected to pave the way for a challenge to the Prime Minister. The mayor of Greater Manchester said he wanted to return to Westminster to “make politics work properly for people” after Josh Simons, the Labour MP for Makerfield, said he would stand down so Mr Burnham can “drive the change our country is crying out for”.
On Thursday evening, a Labour Party spokesperson said: “Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee, has today given permission to Andy Burnham to stand in the candidate selection process in the forthcoming by-election for the Makerfield constituency.”