The President of the United States, Donald Trump (Republican party), declared this Sunday (June 21, 2026) that the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, will resign from his position. In a publication on the Truth Social social network, the American stated that the leader of the British Labor Party “failed badly” in managing two areas considered strategic: immigration and energy.
Trump’s statement comes at a time of strong speculation in the British press that Starmer may announce a timetable for leaving government command as early as Monday (June 22). According to the British agency PA Mediathe US president has not spoken directly with the prime minister since the G7 summit in France, held last week, and the comment reflects the scenario outlined by local reports.
PRESSURE FOR OIL AND IMMIGRATION
In the publication, Trump urged the British government to allow fossil fuel drilling in the North Sea region. The North American president has been systematically pressuring London to reverse the freeze on issuing new oil and gas exploration licenses, in addition to publicly criticizing the United Kingdom’s wind energy farms.
WEAR IN BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP
Diplomacy between the two leaders began to show signs of strain in February, when Starmer refused permission to use British air bases in joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran. The disagreement led Trump to publicly declare that the British prime minister “wasn’t Winston Churchill” and that he used to “ruin relationships”.
Other episodes have expanded the distance behind the scenes in recent months:
- Chagos Islands: Trump of the United Kingdom’s plan to transfer the sovereignty of the archipelago to Mauritius, the place that is home to Diego Garcia. The project ended up shelved by the British government.
- Social media: last week, London banned the use of social networks for under-16s, ignoring warnings from the pro-technology Washington administration against the measure;
- G7 in France: Starmer had to publicly deny having suffered contempt from Trump at the summit after the 2 leaders did not hold an exclusive bilateral meeting to discuss mutual issues.
REACTION IN LONDON
Asked about the North American president’s statements, the official spokesperson for the British government referred the government’s position to the last note issued by Starmer on Friday (19.Jun.26). On the occasion, the prime minister stated that he remains focused on the obligations for which he was elected and that there is more work to be done for the country.
This Sunday, the UK Business Secretary, Peter Kyle, told BBC that Starmer is analyzing the “political realities” over the weekend and will make the decision that is most beneficial to the country’s interests. If the departure is confirmed, the British media indicate that internal support in the Labor succession is heading towards consolidating around the name of Andy Burnham, former mayor of Manchester.
