Donald Trump 'calls Keir Starmer a loser who has no future' as US President fumes over British inaction

The US President, who initiated an attack against Iran in a “joint operation” with Israel on Saturday, was apparently talking at a private dinner within the last two weeks when he landed his latest slight against Sir Keir.

A source, speaking to the Telegraph, said: “Trump has started calling Starmer a loser.”

The source continued by alleging Mr Trump also remarked on how Sir Keir’s future in the office is non-existent.

This comes after Mr Trump said the PM was “not Winston Churchill” after the UK Government did not immediately back the US after they announced their "Mission Epic Fury” against Iran on the weekend.

Initially, Britain did not allow the US to carry out air strikes from RAF bases – apparently a decision that was spearheaded by Ed Miliband, Rachel Reeves and Yvette Cooper – but Sir Keir relented by the end of the weekend, allowing America to utilise UK military assets for particular, constrained, defensive use.

Mr Miliband, the Energy Secretary, is reported to have raised strong objections to the planned US strikes during a National Security Council meeting on Friday, which had been convened to assess how the conflict might affect the UK’s energy supply.

He presented a "petulant, pacifist, legalistic, and very political" case against strikes on Iran and any UK involvement, calling on legal advice from Attorney General Lord Hermer, The Telegraph reports.

Defence Secretary John Healey opposed Mr Miliband’s stance, advocating instead for British bases to be made available for defensive operations in support of allied forces.

At the meeting, the Chancellor and Foreign Secretary reportedly supported Mr Miliband’s position, with the PM initially siding with them.

Yet, less than 48 hours later, Sir Keir changed course and approved the use of UK bases, including Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford, for “limited defensive” operations by the US.

Mr Trump’s opinion on Sir Keir has swayed over the course of both their premierships, as he previously described Sir Keir as “very nice” when he won the 2024 General Election.

Since then, the relationship between the unlikely pair has seemed amicable, with the US President making positive remarks about the PM and the “special” relationship.

The President described Sir Keir as a “tough negotiator” during talks around American-imposed tariffs on UK goods imported to the US.

Mr Trump’s compliments extended beyond Sir Keir’s ability as a leader, also remarking on the PM's “beautiful accent”.

During a visit in July in Scotland, Mr Trump said: “I like your PM, he’s slightly more liberal than I am, but I like him.”

However, the situation has soured, with Mr Trump rebuking Sir Keir over the infamous Chagos Island deal, with Mr Trump criticising the terms of the agreement, calling it an “act of great stupidity” on Truth Social.

The deal would hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius, with the UK leasing the Diego Garcia base on a 99-year lease.

The UK cannot lawfully transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius without American consent due to a 1966 Treaty.

Since then, it appears tensions have worsened between the two leaders, as on Tuesday, Mr Trump said Sir Keir is “not Winston Churchill” when he was discussing how it took “three or four days” for American airpower to figure out where they can land in the US-UK military base of Diego Garcia.

This is not the only criticism the PM has received, as a string of condemnation over his dithering in the Middle East has landed from those in Westminster and beyond.

For example, the Cypriot High Commissioner, Kyriacos Kouros, said his country was “disappointed” that the UK failed to alert people in Cyprus when a strike hit RAF base Akrotiri on Sunday, with further interceptions happening on Monday morning.

Mr Healey rushed to Cyprus on Wednesday night to make amends.

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