Donald Trump has said it will be “tough” for British prime minister Keir Starmer to survive the political crisis engulfing his government, warning that he must “straighten out immigration” and expand North Sea oil and gas drilling.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One after returning from a summit with Chinese president Xi Jinping in Beijing, Trump criticised Starmer’s handling of immigration and energy policy as Labour descends into open internal conflict.
“It’s a tough thing, unless he can straighten out immigration—where he’s weak—and if he doesn’t start drilling and stop with the windmills all over the place… he’s got to open up the North Sea,” Trump said.
The remarks come as Starmer faces the most serious challenge of his premiership after Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigned and publicly accused the prime minister of creating “drift” and a “vacuum” in government.
The turmoil has exposed deep divisions inside the governing Labour Party following poor local election results and falling poll ratings. Several senior Labour figures are now openly backing Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham for a possible return to Parliament, fuelling speculation about a future leadership challenge.
A by-election in the north-west English seat of Makerfield is expected to become a major political battleground between Labour and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
Trump has repeatedly criticised Starmer in recent months, particularly after Britain refused to join the United States and Israel in military action against Iran.
The British prime minister had initially blocked the use of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, in the Chagos Islands, for strikes on Tehran before later reversing the decision under pressure.
Senior Labour ministers admitted on Friday that the party had suffered an “embarrassing week”, while Starmer declined to answer questions from journalists during a visit to a London police station.
