Donald Trump accused of 'exploiting Keir Starmer's weakness' after Falklands sovereignty threat: 'Immature!'

Georgia Pearce
Fri, 24 Apr 2026 18:19:41 +0000

Sir Gavin Williamson has launched a scathing attack on Donald Trump, accusing him of "exploiting" Sir Keir Starmer's weakness after threatening to "review" the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.

Speaking to the People's Channel, the former Defence Secretary hit out at the leaked memo from the Pentagon, suggesting that the US could "pull support" for UK sovereignty as "punishment" for its response to the Iran war.

Sir Gavin told GB News: "President Trump has seen how weak Keir Starmer is, not just at home but also abroad.

"And the fact that he's not willing to stand up for British interests, he sees that weakness and he's exploiting it."

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Sir Gavin insisted that such behaviour from Washington cannot go unchallenged, noting that Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has already spoken out firmly on the matter.

He described Mr Trump's approach as "immature" and warned that American actions of this nature must carry consequences.

The former Cabinet minister emphasised Britain's longstanding military partnership with America, highlighting joint operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria as evidence of the special relationship.

However, he argued that Sir Keir must move beyond rhetoric on defence expenditure and actually deliver increased funding.

Sir Gavin stated: "We've got to make it clear that actually this isn't something that is going to be allowed.

"Keir Starmer doesn't just have to speak about spending more on defence, he's got to deliver on spending more on defence so that we have resources to properly defend ourselves without the support of a United States."

He stressed that additional military investment is essential not merely for protecting the Falklands and British territory, but for containing hostile powers including Russia, China and Iran during an increasingly volatile global period.

Sir Gavin expressed growing doubt about whether the Prime Minister would remain in office long enough to implement any defence commitments.

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"You're already seeing the Prime Minister's staunchest allies moving away from him, even the people that owe everything to him are slowly abandoning him," he observed.

The former Defence Secretary, who previously believed Sir Keir would survive throughout 2026, said recent decisions had fundamentally altered his assessment.

"The stupidity and the actions he's taken mean that his position becomes almost untenable, and I think that there is a very real danger that he could be gone very soon after the local elections," he warned.

Sir Gavin characterised the prospect of Sir Keir's departure as a "danger" rather than an opportunity, expressing concern about what might follow.

"I worry you're just going to see the Labour Party lurch even more to the left and have a very, very socialist government, even more than the one that you have with Keir Starmer," he said.

Downing Street insisted the UK's "long-standing" stance on the British territory remains "unchanged."

The Prime Minister's spokesman said: "We could not be clearer about the UK’s position on the Falkland Islands.

"It’s long standing. It’s unchanged."