Sir Keir Starmer is “destroying” the special relationship with his dangerous “surrender” on the Chagos Islands, a former adviser to Margaret Thatcher has told GB News.
Nile Gardiner, who served as the Iron Lady’s foreign affairs adviser and now works for the Heritage Foundation in Washington, claimed Sir Keir’s relationship with Donald Trump pales in comparison to Mrs Thatcher’s with Ronald Reagan.
Despite forging a surprisingly close relationship following Mr Trump’s return to the White House, the Prime Minister now finds himself at loggerheads with the US on Greenland, free speech and the Chagos Islands.
Speaking to GB News, Mr Gardiner warned: “Keir Starmer is destroying the UK-US special relationship with his dangerous pro-China Chagos surrender deal, which threatens the future of the American base at Diego Garcia, his suppression of freedom of speech in the UK, including his threats to ban X, and his shameless efforts to roll back Brexit and appease the EU.”
Washington gave its blessing to the UK’s £34.7billion handover of the Indian Ocean archipelago last year.
However, Mr Trump lashed out at UK negotiators this morning, claiming plans for Britain to cede the Chagos Islands were an “act of total weakness” and “great stupidity”.
The first anniversary of Mr Trump’s return to the White House also coincides with a growing rift with the UK over Greenland.
The US President 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.
Donald Trump now appears at loggerheads with Sir Keir Starmer over the Chagos Islands
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PA
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.
Mr Gardiner added: “Keir Starmer is a weak-kneed political midget on the world stage compared to Margaret Thatcher, who was a giant of leadership, strength and resolve.
“Patience with socialist Keir Starmer is increasingly wearing thin in the White House.
“Expect the gloves to come off in 2026 as President Trump confronts the Labour Government on a range of issues, from Chagos and Greenland to Net Zero and freedom of speech.”
Nile Gardiner issued a stern warning over the Chagos Islands
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GB NEWSMeanwhile, Pastor Mark Burns, who serves as Mr Trump’s spiritual adviser, warned the special relationship is being “tested and refined”.
He told GB News: “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.”
Pastor Burns added: “I see this less as a breakdown of the special relationship and more as a realignment around truth and national interest.
Chagos Islands: key facts | GB NEWS
“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 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.
Ronald Reagan had a healthy relationship with Margaret Thatcher, despite invading Grenada | GETTY
However, the Suez Crisis of 1956 and the American invasion of Grenada in 1983 highlighted some of the limitations of the special relationship.
Despite previously labelling Mr Trump’s 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.
Mike Johnson discussed the special relationship with GB News last night | GETTY
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 yesterday.
“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.”
Protests have taken place across Greenland and Denmark today over Donald Trump’s plans | REUTERS
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.
Despite Reform UK leader Nigel Farage becoming increasingly critical of Mr Trump’s positioning on Greenland, the Clacton MP hailed his “friend” for speaking out against the Chagos deal.
Donald Trump and Nigel Farage first became friends in 2016 | NIGEL FARAGE
“Thank goodness Trump has vetoed the surrender of the Chagos Islands,” Mr Farage said.
He added: “The Americans have woken up to the fact that they were lied to. They were told that the UK had no choice but to surrender the Chagos Islands. This was simply not true, and now they are angry with us.”
Despite then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirming the US holds a veto due to its use of the Diego Garcia military base, Sir Keir’s Government remains committed to the handover of the Chagos Islands.
“This deal secures the operations of the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia for generations, with robust provisions for keeping its unique capabilities intact and our adversaries out,” a Government spokesman said.
“It has been publicly welcomed by the US, Australia and all other Five Eyes allies, as well as key international partners including India, Japan and South Korea.”
Keir Starmer and Donald Trump have established a close working relationship | REUTERS
However, Mr Trump’s criticisms go beyond foreign affairs, with the US President publicly clashing with Sir Keir on London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan and wind turbines.
Mr Gardiner’s special relationship warning came just hours after House Speaker Mike Johnson stressed the UK remains an integral ally to the US.
“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 Grenada, 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 signalling – 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.”
