Donald Trump has weighed in after speculation intensified over whether Keir Starmer could step down as Britain’s prime minister.
Rumors have gathered pace over the past few days, with claims that Starmer is under mounting pressure from within his own party to resign.
According to The Observer, which reported on Saturday (June 20), a resignation is expected after the prime minister spent the weekend with his family discussing what comes next for his leadership.
Discussing the matter, a friend of the prime minister’s said: “I think [Starmer] sees the realities.
“Stopping ‘chaos’ (as he rightly put it) is now not possible by staying, so that only leaves one option. I think he has come to see it as the dutiful option to serve the country and the party.”
The insider also claimed Starmer wants to “arrange a deliberate slow march”.
Although Starmer has yet to make any formal announcement, Trump has appeared to declare the outcome himself.
“Keir Starmer will resign as prime minister of the United Kingdom,” Trump wrote on social media today (June 21).
“He failed badly on two very important subjects – immigration and energy (Open North Sea oil!). I wish him well! President DJT.”
A request for comment has been sent to Downing Street.
Trump and Starmer have generally maintained a workable relationship since Starmer entered Downing Street, but they have been sharply divided over migration, energy policy and North Sea oil. Trump has previously urged Starmer to be tougher on immigration and to back more domestic oil and gas production, while Starmer has resisted pressure to move toward the U.S. president’s approach.
Starmer is spending the weekend at Chequers with his family, and while speculation is intensifying, no resignation has been formally announced. Reports over the weekend suggested he could set out a timetable for departure as soon as Monday, but senior government figures have also described the claims as speculation.
The pressure on Starmer has built after weeks of Labour infighting and a run of damaging political headlines, with some MPs openly questioning whether he can lead the party into the next election. Any move to step aside would trigger a scramble for a successor, with Andy Burnham among the names being discussed in Westminster.
More to follow.