Keir Starmer 'must meet Donald Trump halfway to protect UK-US special relationship', President's adviser warns

Mr Trump has sparked a fresh trade war after imposing 10 per cent tariffs on imports from the UK, Denmark, Germany, France, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland, with the levy expected to increase to 25 per cent unless a deal on Washington acquiring Greenland is reached by June 1.

Speaking to GB News one year on from Mr Trump’s second inauguration, the US President’s spiritual adviser said: “The special relationship is being tested and refined.

“Strong friendships can handle honest disagreements. President Trump’s second term is about respect built on strength, not politeness built on weakness.

“If the UK Government meets him halfway on shared values like security, freedom, and economic growth, the relationship will endure and even strengthen.”

However, tensions between Washington and London have grown since Sir Keir struck an unusual working relationship with the Republican President.

The pair have disagreed on Ukraine, Nato, free speech, London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, social media outlets and wind turbines.

Mr Trump’s trade deal with the UK, which was marked with the US President’s unprecedented second state visit to Britain, is now being slowed and stalled as a result of the key differences.

“I see this less as a breakdown of the special relationship and more as a realignment around truth and national interest,” Pastor Burns, who stressed the special relationship is not yet in “danger”, added.

“President Trump has never been afraid to speak plainly, whether it’s on free speech, Nato burden sharing, energy policy, or global security.

“He believes allies should be strong, self-sufficient, and honest with their people. When disagreements arise, they tend to expose policy differences, not personal animosity.”

Despite previously labelling Mr Trump rhetoric as “shocking and disturbing”, the Prime Minister has looked to build a strong transatlantic relationship between the White House and No10 since the 47th President returned to the White.

Sir Keir and then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy met with Mr Trump and his then-running mate JD Vance ahead of the 2024 US Presidential Election.

The Prime Minister and US President have both spoken about liking and respecting one another since coming to power, albeit with strong differences in key policy areas.

However, Sir Keir publicly distanced himself from Mr Trump’s attack on Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky last February, later stopping short of criticising the US President over the capture of Nicolas Maduro.

The pair's biggest rift since coming to power stems from Nato and Greenland, with Sir Keir this week telling the US President his tariff threat over the Danish autonomous territory was “wrong”.

“As I’ve said, threatening tariffs on allies is the wrong thing to do,” the Prime Minister said in a Downing Street press conference.

“Completely wrong. A trade war is not in our interests. And therefore, my first task is to ensure we don’t get to that place, which is what I’m focused on.”

Sir Keir, who reiterated that the UK believes the future of Greenland must be decided by its inhabitants and Denmark alone, added: “I don’t think it’s right for us to choose between the US and Europe.

“That’s not a new position today. That’s the position I’ve consistently held, as have previous governments.”

The Prime Minister also played down the prospect of Britain imposing retaliatory tariffs on the US and suggested Mr Trump’s threat of military action to annex Greenland is just a bluff.

The US has been eyeing up the annexation of Greenland for almost 200 years, with a multi-million-pound offer being offered to Denmark in 1946.

However, Washington has already acquired swathes of territory during its history, including the purchase of the Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917 and the purchase of Alaska in 1867.

Speaking over the weekend, Mr Trump said: "Now, after centuries, it is time for Denmark to give back - world peace is at stake!

"China and Russia want Greenland, and there is not a thing that Denmark can do about it."

The announcement also sparked condemnation from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.

Mr Farage, who is being more outspoken against his "friend" on foreign policy, said: "I think what he's done is wrong. I don't think you turn on your allies."

However, House Speaker Mike Johnson stressed the special relationship remains integral to Mr Trump and his allies.

"I don’t think it’s a threat to Nato or to this special relationship in the long run," Mr Johnson told GB News.

He added: "This relationship between the UK and the US is critically important, not just for our countries, but of course, for the entire world."

Meanwhile, Greg Swenson, who serves as chairman of Republican Overseas in the UK, also told The People's Channel: "There's always speed bumps, right? When Reagan invaded Granada, that annoyed, Mrs Thatcher, and that seemed to work out okay in the end.

"Starmer has been pretty measured. He hasn't gone crazy on Trump and some might think he had plenty of reasons to."

Mr Swenson, who credited Sir Keir for striking a strong professional relationship with Mr Trump, added: "I think that the President was just frustrated with the virtue signaling - theatre or the performative shock, pearl-clutching by the European leaders - over Greenland. Greenland was a colony, and now it's a territory. I mean, that's not exactly a full democracy anyway."

Despite spending years battling from 1775 to 1815, Winston Churchill marked a new era of Anglo-American relations in 1941 when the UK signed the Atlantic Charter with Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Mr Churchill later coined the phrase "the special relationship" in 1946, with unified responses to Iraq and Afghanistan consolidating close ties between the two nations.

However, the Suez Crisis of 1956 and the American invasion of Grenada in 1983 highlighted some of the limitations of the special relationship.