Starmer says he and Trump will stay in touch

Keir Starmer said Donald Trump has agreed to stay in touch after the British prime minister leaves Downing Street, even as recent disputes over Iran and Britain’s direction have strained what both sides once presented as a strong working relationship.

Speaking after a NATO summit in Ankara, Starmer said Trump had wished him well as he prepares to step down. “Yes he did, and we’re going to stay in touch,” he told broadcasters.

Starmer said the relationship between the British prime minister and the U.S. president mattered because of the strategic alliance between the two countries, particularly on defence and security. “We’ve always got on as two individuals,” he said. “That is important because it really matters in politics to have a relationship that is a working relationship.”

He added that the U.K. and U.S. work “together 24/7” and said maintaining a good relationship with the president had been one of his goals in office. “That has been what I set out to do, I think it’s really important for my country, and that’s what always comes first for me,” Starmer said.

The comments came after months of sharper exchanges. Trump has mocked Starmer as being “no Winston Churchill” after Britain refused to allow U.K. bases to be used for initial U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran. Starmer later permitted the bases to be used for defensive action against Iranian missile strikes. Trump renewed his criticism before the NATO meeting, saying allies “weren’t there for us” in the U.S. war in the Middle East and faulting the U.K. for its initial refusal.

The Guardian reported that Trump also said earlier this week that Britain was a “deindustrialised welfare zone” in decline and blamed Starmer’s “weak leadership.” Asked about the remarks, Starmer declined to respond directly. “Having resisted so far, I’m not going to be tempted at the last hurdle into starting commenting on what other people may say or not,” he said.

Starmer defended his record, saying Britain had “turned this country around in the last two years” with “a stronger economy, stronger public services, stronger defence and security.” He said the country’s international standing was “undoubtedly in a much better position” than when he took office.

Starmer announced last month that he would resign as Labour leader, triggering a contest to replace him as prime minister. Andy Burnham is currently the only declared candidate and could become prime minister on July 20.

At the summit, Starmer said NATO emerged more united. He said Trump closed the meeting by thanking leaders for “the spirit of the meeting and the unity of the meeting.” Trump called the summit “very successful” and said members were “answering the call” to increase defence funding. NATO members agreed last year to spend 5% of gross domestic product on defence and security by 2035.

The Guardian reported that Trump showed leaders a chart of defence spending in real terms, with the U.K. second over the past decade, though Britain ranks 12th among 32 NATO members when spending is measured as a share of GDP.

Starmer also repeated his warning against changing fiscal rules to fund higher defence spending, saying they were important to economic stability. “We are already spending £1 of every £10 that we spend as a government servicing our borrowing,” he said.

The summit also produced an unusual diplomatic gift. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave Starmer and other NATO leaders a revolver engraved with their names and a box of live ammunition. Starmer’s firearm was left with British officials in Turkey because it would be illegal to import it to the U.K.; officials are expected to decommission it so it can no longer fire live rounds.