'Straighten out your country!' Donald Trump urges Keir Starmer as he slams London for 'having a lot of problems'

He further suggested both Sir Keir and French President Emmanuel Macron behaved in a two-faced manner towards him, saying he "got along very well" with the two leaders but that they "get a little bit rough when I'm not around".

President Trump told a press conference on Tuesday: "I like both of them. They are both liberal.

"They have got to straighten out their countries though: you look at London, it’s having a lot of problems and if you look at Paris, got a lot of problems.

"They have two problems: immigration and energy. They've got to stop with the windmills and they have got to go back.

"The UK has an unbelievable asset called the North Sea. Norway uses it, makes a fortune.

"They have a better section of it and they don't do it. They could straighten out their countries and it would be good. But I get along very well with them."

In a social media spree earlier on Tuesday, the US president launched an attack on the UK Government's decision to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, which he branded an "act of great stupidity".

Labour has agreed to hand over the islands to Mauritius but will pay billions of pounds to lease back the strategically important Diego Garcia base.

Ministers have claimed the deal is necessary because international court rulings in favour of Mauritian claims to sovereignty had threatened the future of the base.

In a post to his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said: “Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ Nato Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital US Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER.

“There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness.”

He highlighted the decision as a reason for his continued pursuit of Greenland, which is a semi-autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

“The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired.”

Mr Trump has threatened to hit Britain and other European allies with 10 per cent tariffs from February 1 unless they agree to his purchase of Greenland and he has refused to rule out using military force to seize the island.

The US President has warned that Russia and China pose a national security risk from the Arctic and has claimed Denmark is incapable of protecting Greenland.

Sir Keir has joined other European leaders in opposing the prospect of American tariffs, calling it “completely wrong” and called for continued dialogue among allies.

In Downing Street, the Prime Minister said there was a clear feeling among Nato members that more needs to be done to secure the Arctic.

No10 said that at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting he “reiterated that Greenland’s future was a matter for Greenlanders and the Kingdom of Denmark”.

He spoke with European Council president Antonio Costa in a call on Tuesday evening during which he said the UK was prepared to “play its part to protect Arctic security alongside Nato,” according to a Downing Street readout.