Navigating a New Landscape: Starmer’s Dilemma in the Evolving US-UK Relationship Under Trump

Visits by prime ministers to the president of the United States carry significantly more weight for us “Brits” than they do for the American leaders.

Donald Trump articulated this clearly in the nonchalant manner he revealed his decision to accommodate Sir Keir Starmer in his packed itinerary.

“We have numerous positive initiatives underway,” the president confidently stated. “But he requested a meeting, and I simply agreed.”

Following his conversation with the prime minister, Trump proclaimed “we’re going to have a cordial discussion, very beneficial.” This announcement came before Sir Keir openly contested Trump’s assertion that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is “a dictator.”

Assuming his invite isn’t rescinded on a whim by the president, Starmer will have to navigate the situation with extreme prudence when he arrives at the Oval Office.

Sources from Downing Street express concerns about “not provoking the bear,” fully aware that past leaders have faced numerous uncomfortable moments while striving to strengthen a special relationship during international engagements.

Starmer will face a considerable challenge. Since his re-election, Trump has indicated that he has even less patience for conventional alliances.

Traditionally, newly sworn-in presidents extend courteous messages to their neighboring territories. Trump, however, imposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico while discussing territorial expansion to both the north and the south.

Traditionally, the UK prime minister is often the first foreign leader to be received by a fresh US president. Trump welcomed Theresa May less than a week after taking office for the first time, surprising her by holding her hand down a flight of stairs.

In the present year, Starmer has already been preceded by the leaders of Israel, Japan, Jordan, and Indonesia and will be crossing the Atlantic to pay his respects during the same days as France’s President Macron.

The political bond between Thatcher and Reagan

Even at their most favorable moments, British officials tend to overstate the synergy between the mutual interests of the two nations.

Harold Macmillan believed he could impart wisdom to the youthful John Kennedy, akin to the Greek to JFK’s Roman, yet ultimately found himself being instructed by Kennedy on the essence of the UK’s “independent” nuclear arsenal.

One of Harold Wilson’s cleverest accomplishments was his decision not to deploy British forces to assist the Americans during the Vietnam War.

The most renowned political romance between a British Prime Minister and a US President was undoubtedly that of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. Indeed, when the Falklands conflict erupted in the spring of 1982, I was present in the White House briefing room to witness then Secretary of State Al Haig joke with innuendo regarding their close relationship.

The alliance flourished after Thatcher convinced Reagan to provide steadfast backing for the UK expedition, despite the counsel of some of his advisors.

Nevertheless, Thatcher was perturbed by Reagan’s apparent openness to the notion of mutual nuclear disarmament in discussions with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1986.

Immediately after the Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Reykjavik, she hurried to Washington DC – “to give Reagan a reprimand” – as per one Daily Express journalist accompanying her.

In 1990, she allegedly told George HW Bush, “now George, this is not the moment to back down,” during the series of meetings and calls that ensued after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.

Clinton benefiting from Blair and Bush’s affection

John Major had an inauspicious beginning with Bill Clinton after Conservative circles attempted to aid the Republican campaign in uncovering unfavorable information about Clinton’s time at Oxford University. Shortly after the US elections in 1992, Major flew to the US hoping for an in-person meeting with the newly elected president. However, after several days, he only received a phone call from Little Rock, Arkansas.

Despite their ideological similarities, Tony Blair later remarked that he found interacting with the Third Way Democrat Bill Clinton more challenging than with the “straightforward” Republican George W Bush.

Nonetheless, Clinton played a pivotal role in facilitating the Belfast agreement. Blair’s most significant achievement was convincing the president to commit US troops to peacekeeping efforts in the Balkans, but he also rendered considerable personal support to Clinton.

Blair made a scheduled visit to the White House amidst the Monica Lewinsky scandal, just days following the president’s declaration, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”

During their subsequent joint news conference, Blair allowed all questions to redirect to him while expressing his admiration for the president. As they departed from the East Wing, Clinton draped his arm around the prime minister and seemed to say, “I owe you one.”

Clinton advised Blair on his successor George W Bush to “embrace him warmly.” However, there was apprehension as the Labour prime minister journeyed to Camp David for his first encounter with the second President Bush.

Bush preferred a casual attire, and according to the British ambassador, Blair arrived in “extremely tight jeans.” From Bush’s opening remark about sharing the same type of toothpaste, Blair experienced an onslaught of affection.

The bond between the two leaders remained strong, with their forces cooperating in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Brown’s collection of CDs, Cameron’s humility, and shared interests

Gordon Brown found himself amid a British media frenzy, through no fault of his own, after Barack Obama’s administration returned a bust of Churchill that had been personally loaned to George W Bush by the British Embassy.

The new Obama administration’s lack of awareness regarding customary diplomacy was highlighted when a history-laden gift from Brown to the president was met with a bag of CDs in return.

David Cameron adopted a modest tone during his visit to Obama, referring to the UK as America’s “junior partner.”

However, their alliance backfired when Obama attempted to intervene during the Brexit referendum, cautioning that the UK would find itself “at the back of the queue” for a trade agreement with the US after Brexit.

The swift succession of prime ministers during Joe Biden’s term did not permit any of them to cultivate a close working rapport. Regardless, Biden chose to embrace his Irish, rather than his English, ancestry.

Until this latest Trump administration, the US and UK were generally aligned, sharing differing priorities but with the common assumption of mutual support where feasible.

Starmer now faces the challenge of determining whether such conventions still hold true.

Differences between left and right can be reconciled

Up until now, distinctions between the left and right have not been of significant consequence. It was a mere disagreement when the Reagan administration and Labour leader Neil Kinnock found themselves at odds after the British Opposition leader received a brief meeting at the Oval Office prior to the 1987 general election.

Reagan expressed to Kinnock that his unilateral nuclear disarmament proposal was nonsensical, while Labour claimed that a forgetful Reagan had failed to recognize the shadow foreign secretary, Denis Healey.

Kinnock and Labour later retracted their anti-nuclear stance.

Starmer has begun his journey on a better footing than that. He and Foreign Secretary David Lammy report that they were welcomed “graciously” by the then president-elect at Trump Tower in New York City last year.

They are hopeful that they can maintain this positive atmosphere during their visit to the White House this week.