Starmer: I will not yield to Trump
Keir Starmer said President Trump’s tirade against the Chagos Islands deal was to “pressure” him to change tune on Greenland, adding he would “engage constructively” with the US administration and other allies.
During Prime Minister’s Questions, Starmer defiantly defended his position on upholding Greenland’s sovereignty, suggesting Trump’s unexpected attack on Chagos in a Truth Social post was designed to get him to change its stance.
Responding to Kemi Badenoch’s question on whether he would support Chagossians as he has backed Greenlanders, Starmer said: “President Trump deployed words on Chagos yesterday that were different to his previous words of welcome and support when I met him in the White House.
“He deployed those words yesterday for the express purpose of putting pressure on me and Britain in relation to my values and principles on the future of Greenland.”
“He wants me to yield on my position, and I’m not going to do so.”
Starmer also jibed at Badenoch for “jumping on the bandwagon” and undermining the government’s message on protecting Greenland, which she said she agreed with.
The Prime Minister also hit back at Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey for arguing against working with the US. Davey questioned why the government was not ramping up expenditure on defence at a faster pace.
However, Starmer’s relationship with Trump also provided soft-left Labour backbenchers with ammunition for attack as Labour MP Steve Witherden labelled the US president a “thug” and demanded the UK government to “commit to retaliatory tariffs”.
Starmer said a trade war would hit UK consumers and businesses with higher costs.
Starmer all but denies retaliation
Speaking to broadcasters in Davos, Rachel Reeves insisted the government would not be “buffeted around by global events” and distanced the UK from threats to impose retaliatory tariffs on the US.
The Prime Minister’s comments in the House of Commons follow extraordinary remarks made by Canadian prime minister Mark Carney and French president Emmanuel Macron signalling a desire for allies to stand up to Trump.
After rejecting tariff threats as being “completely wrong”, Starmer’s bolder stance reflects his fracturing relationship with the US president.
Questions loom over the Labour government’s ability to pass the Chagos bill through parliament despite Trump’s apparent change of position.
Former foreign secretary David Lammy said last year the deal would “not go forward” if President Trump didn’t like the deal.
Officials have said a signed treaty meant the government would follow through on the handover of the territory to Mauritius and a 99-year lease of a military base on Diego Garcia island.