President Trump said Sunday that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will resign, saying the leader failed at handling the United Kingdom’s immigration and energy policies.
“Keir Starmer will resign as prime minister of the United Kingdom. He failed badly on two very important subjects — Immigration and Energy (open North Sea oil!). I wish him well,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social.
The president’s post came amid reports that Mr. Starmer is expected to decide to step down or face a challenge from Andy Burnham to lead the Labour Party.
Mr. Starmer has publicly vowed to stay on as prime minister, but pressure is building as more and more of his Labour Party colleagues acknowledge his time is running short.
Some say Mr. Starmer will resign as soon as Monday, the same day Mr. Burnham will be sworn in as a lawmaker in the House of Commons after winning a special election last week.
Discontent with Mr. Starmer has been building for months, with Labour lawmakers desperate to reverse their party’s popularity decline since he led it to a landslide election victory in July 2024.
Since taking office, Mr. Starmer has struggled to fulfill his promises of economic growth, fixing public services and some self-inflicted wounds such as appointing Peter Mandelson, a friend of late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, as British ambassador to the United States.
Mr. Madelson ultimately was forced to resign because of his ties to Epstein and was arrested in February on allegations of leaking confidential government and market-sensitive information to Epstein.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Starmer have clashed repeatedly, especially over the conflict in Iran.
The two countries are longtime allies, but Mr. Trump has been harshly critical of Britain’s decision not to join the military operation and has levied personal attacks against Mr. Starmer, saying, “This is not Winston Churchill we’re dealing with.”
In Britain, the Iran war is deeply unpopular amid anger over rising gas prices.
