Keir Starmer’s head will be spinning. Not because he’d overdone it on the whisky during his Scottish soiree with Donald Trump.
But because he was banjoed by the US president during an extraordinary press conference on a golf course. The 70–minute one-man show saw the Republican bruiser take a flamethrower to some of the Labour leader’s key policies, suggesting he won’t win the next general election unless he changes them.
Nigel Farage, most likely watching on a Westminster television set, must have been doing a Highland jig as Sir Keir sat squirming inside the ballroom of the clubhouse at Trump’s Turnberry golf course.
The US president said he liked both Starmer and Farage, but insisted the Prime Minister could only defeat the Reform UK leader if he cuts taxes, protects farmers and slashes illegal migration.
One person who isn’t a friend of Mr Trump is “nasty” London Mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan.
To be fair to Sir Keir, who was probably wishing he’d stayed in Switzerland to celebrate with the victorious Lionesses, he offered a meek defence of his “friend” Khan.
There were also awkward exchanges over Gaza and Trump’s upcoming state visit, but the president did praise the PM despite their political differences.
Mr Trump also took time to trash predecessors Bill Clinton and Joe Biden, denied he’d ever been to Jeffrey Epstein’s private island and once again took aim at wind turbines.
A leg-weary Prime Minister was later invited onto Air Force One as the two leaders travelled to another Trump golf course for dinner.
After a day like that, it’s no surprise Sir Keir will be seeing birdies.
