‘I understand what Trump cares about,' says Sir Keir Starmer
The prime minister admitted that while they may have 'different political backgrounds", he and Mr Trump have built a 'good personal relationship' which he said helped land the trade deal with the US.
Sir Keir revealed that the US president reached out to offer his condolences after the death of his younger brother, Nick Starmer, on Boxing Day last year.
"We talked about my brother, and he was asking about him', the prime minister said. "For both of us, we really care about family and there's a point of connection there.'
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Political Thinking, Sir Keir said he first spoke to Mr Trump in his role as prime minister after he was shot at a rally in July, before he was elected as president.
He said. 'I think I do understand what anchors the president, what he really cares about. But also, we have a good personal relationship.
'The first time I ever spoke to him was when I picked up the phone to him after he had been shot when he was at rally before he became president.
'And that was a phone call, really, to ask him how it was, and in particular, I wanted to know how it impacted his family.'
The prime minister also denied that this week's humiliating climbdown on welfare came because he had been overly focused on foreign affairs.
He said he cannot 'pretend… that wasn't a tough day', and stressed the welfare system 'isn't working for the people that matter to me'.
But the PM also insisted the government would "come through this stronger".
Sir Keir was forced to abandon a key plank of his controversial benefit cuts on Tuesday in order to get them through parliament in the face of a mass rebellion of Labour MPs.
While his welfare reform bill passed its second reading by 335 votes to 260 – a majority of 75 – the prime minister still suffered the largest rebellion of his premiership so far, with 49 Labour MPs voting to reject the legislation.
It came after a last-ditch announcement that plans to restrict eligibility for personal independence payments (PIP) – which had been the central pillar of the government's reforms – were being dropped in a humiliating climb down for the prime minister.
The rebellion was a sign of growing disaffection among Labour MPs, with mounting concern over Sir Keir's leadership and the direction of the government.
The prime minister said he will always 'carry the can' as leader, adding he would 'always take responsibility' when asked questions.
'When things go well… the leader gets the plaudits, but when things don't go well, it is really important that the leader carries the can – and that's what I will always do,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
6 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Starmer and Macron to host coalition of the willing meeting next week
The Prime Minister and France's leader will dial into a meeting with allies on Thursday, as Mr Macron makes his first state visit to the UK, it is understood. Britain and France have led efforts to establish the coalition, a peacekeeping force aimed at policing any future ceasefire deal in Ukraine, and deterring further threats by Russia. The effectiveness of the coalition has been called into question, as only London and Paris have so far indicated they would provide frontline soldiers towards it. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he arrives on Air Force One, Friday, July 4, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The peacekeeping mission would also be predicated on American air support, something which US President Donald Trump has been unwilling to openly say he would provide. Russia launched a massive barrage of drone strikes on Kyiv overnight, reportedly the largest since the war began. Some 550 drones and missiles were fired at Ukraine in the strikes, with the capital Kyiv the primary target. At least 23 people were injured, with 14 taken to hospital, according to the city's mayor Vitali Klitschko. The strikes came hours after Mr Trump held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, pushing him to accept a truce. No 10 said the continued Russia strikes were 'clear evidence that Putin was not serious about peace', as it condemned them. The Russian strike on Kyiv was reportedly one of the biggest of the war (AP Photo/Yehor Konovalov) A Downing Street spokesman added: 'Since Ukraine agreed to an unconditional ceasefire over four months ago, 700 civilians have been killed, more than 3,000 injured, 'We are, alongside our allies, absolutely united in support of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. We are clear that must start with a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire.' The UK's immediate focus is 'stepping up our support Ukraine, ratcheting up the pressure on Russia', he said. Mr Trump has halted some shipments of critical weapons to Kyiv in recent days, including those used for air defences. Ukraine has warned the move will prevent it from defending against Russian air strikes.
Reuters
8 minutes ago
- Reuters
American Mayer announces candidacy for FIA president
SILVERSTONE, England, July 4 (Reuters) - American Tim Mayer announced on Friday he will stand against Emirati incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem in a December vote for president of the FIA, motorsport's world governing body. The 59-year-old, who served as a Formula One steward until last year, is the son of former McLaren team principal Teddy Mayer. "I believe I am the right person, at the right time, in the right place," Mayer told a press conference at a hotel near Silverstone, the British Grand Prix circuit. He added that he had been working on his campaign for six months. "What I see is a failure in leadership right now," he said. "Instead of reform, we've seen performance. Behind the stagecraft, we've been left with the illusion of progress; and the illusion of leadership, while the most senior team he appointed has departed." Mayer said last November he had been dismissed as a steward via text message by an assistant to Ben Sulayem. The FIA disputes that detail. The American said standing was not an act of revenge but about driving the organisation forward -- with his campaign branded FIAforward. There was no immediate response from the FIA. Ben Sulayem, who has made much of returning the governing body to profit, has been a controversial figure since his election in 2021. There have been battles with Liberty Media over commercial matters and accusations of sexism, and there has been a high turnover of senior staff. Critics also say statute changes , approved by FIA members, limit the powers of audit and ethics committees and make it harder for rivals to stand against him. Mayer described his bid as a Herculean task with the deck stacked in Ben Sulayem's favour, given recent statute changes, and only five months to campaign and win votes from member federations. Mayer did not say who would be on his presidential list, a requirement for standing, which he admitted still had some open positions. He said he had good support from Motorsport UK and had informed Stefano Domenicali, chief executive of Liberty Media-owned Formula One, of his plans. "The job now is to go out and explain to lots of small clubs around the world ... why we can do a better job," said Mayer. "Explaining how we can bring value and restructure the FIA to do a better job. "I do feel restructuring needs to happen." Ben Sulayem has already announced he is seeking a second term and until Friday had no declared opponent, with Spain's double world rally champion Carlos Sainz Sr. recently deciding not to stand. Mayer said he would have stood even if Sainz had decided to run. He also dismissed any suggestion of a conflict of interest regarding the historic family connection with McLaren. The FIA is the governing body for F1, the world rally championship and Formula E among other series.
The Guardian
11 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘A dark day for our country': Democrats furious over Trump bill's passage
Democrats have erupted in a storm of outrage over the passage of the Donald Trump's budget bill, delivering scathing critiques that offered signs of the attack lines the party could wield against Republicans in next year's midterm elections. Party leaders released a wave of statements after the sweeping tax and spending bill's passage on Thursday, revealing a fury that could peel paint off a brick outhouse. 'Today, Donald Trump and the Republican party sent a message to America: if you are not a billionaire, we don't give a damn about you,' said Ken Martin, the Democratic National Committee chair. 'While the GOP continues to cash their billionaire donors' checks, their constituents will starve, lose critical medical care, lose their jobs – and yes, some will die as a result of this bill. Democrats are mobilizing and will fight back to make sure everybody knows exactly who is responsible for one of the worst bills in our nation's history.' The bill's narrow passage in the House on Thursday, with no Democratic support and only two no votes from Republicans – which came from Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania – is 'not normal', wrote congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Ocasio-Cortez highlighted the contradictions in the bill that Democrats can be expected to campaign on over the next two years, pitting its spending on immigration enforcement against the loss of social benefits for working-class Americans. She noted that Republicans voted for permanent tax breaks for billionaires while allowing a tax break on tips for people earning less than $25,000 a year to sunset in three years. She also noted that cuts to Medicaid expansion will remove tipped employees from eligibility for Medicaid and remove subsidies for insurance under the Affordable Care Act, and reduce Snap food assistance benefits. 'I don't think anyone is prepared for what they just did with Ice,' Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Bluesky. 'This is not a simple budget increase. It is an explosion – making Ice bigger than the FBI, US Bureau of Prisons, [the] DEA and others combined. It is setting up to make what's happening now look like child's play. And people are disappearing.' Many critics referred to choice remarks made by Republicans in the run-up to the bill's passage that displayed an indifference to their voters' concerns. Senator Mitch McConnell was reported by Punchbowl News to have said to other Republicans in a closed-door meeting last week: 'I know a lot of us are hearing from people back home about Medicaid. But they'll get over it.' And Republican senator Joni Ernst, of Iowa, speaking at a combative town hall in Parkersburg in late May, responded to someone in the audience shouting that people will die without coverage by saying, 'People are not … well, we all are going to die' – a response that drew groans. Cuts to Medicaid feature prominently in Democratic reaction to the bill. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib described the bill as 'disgusting' and 'an act of violence against our communities'. She said: 'Republicans should be ashamed for saying, 'Just get over it' because 'We're all going to die.' They are responsible for the 50,000 people who will die unnecessarily every year because of this deadly budget.' 'There is no sugarcoating this. This is a dark day for our country,' wrote senator Raphael Warnock. 'Republicans in Washington have decided to sell out working people. As a result, millions will lose their healthcare and many millions more will see their premiums go up. Rural hospitals and nursing homes across Georgia will be forced to close. Children will be forced to go hungry so that we can give billionaires another tax cut.' But budget hawks on the left and the right have taken issue with the effects this budget will have on the already considerable national debt. 'In a massive fiscal capitulation, Congress has passed the single most expensive, dishonest, and reckless budget reconciliation bill ever – and, it comes amidst an already alarming fiscal situation,' wrote Maya MacGuineas, the president of the oversight organization Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, in reaction to the House's passage of the bill. 'Never before has a piece of legislation been jammed through with such disregard for our fiscal outlook, the budget process, and the impact it will have on the wellbeing of the country and future generations.' 'House Republicans just voted – again – to jack up costs, gut health care, and reward the elite with tax breaks,' wrote the House Majority Pac, a Democratic fund. 'They had a chance to change course, but instead they doubled down on this deeply unpopular, toxic agenda. They'll have no one to blame but themselves when voters send them packing and deliver Democrats the House majority in 2026.' 'Republicans didn't pass this bill for the people,' wrote Jasmine Crockett, a Texas Democrat. 'They passed it to please Trump, protect the powerful and push cruelty disguised as policy.'
