Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser has warned that the US President and Sir Keir Starmer are unlikely to forge a strong personal relationship.
Speaking to GB News, the adviser said: “I don’t think he and Starmer will get along well, they’re very different personalities.”
He stressed that while relationships at the top level might be strained, the fundamental alliance remains secure, noting: “I think the ties between the countries are strong, regardless of what happens at the top.”
The stark assessment comes as the Prime Minister faces mounting pressure over his approach to US-UK relations.
Donald Trump and Keir Starmer ‘won’t get a long’, John Bolton has claimed
Reuters / PA
Starmer has insisted on pursuing closer ties with the EU, despite warnings it could alienate Trump.
Speaking at the annual Lord Mayor’s banquet in the City of London, the Prime Minister declared a softer Brexit deal was “vital for our growth and security”.
He revealed he had “already made progress” on resetting relations with Brussels.
The Prime Minister also claimed he could strengthen ties with Trump simultaneously, noting he had told the President-elect he would “invest more deeply than ever in this transatlantic bond with our American friends”.
Trump and Starmer will establish the ‘special relationship’ between the UK and US
Reuters
Discussing the future prospects for future UK-US relations, Bolton suggested a potential path forward through trade negotiations.
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“I think Trump would be open to it. He supported Brexit, didn’t happen before,” he told GB News.
He emphasised that a bilateral free trade agreement could be beneficial for both nations, noting its absence since Brexit was “remarkable”.
The adviser suggested Starmer “could do a lot for the country if he really pursued a free trade agreement, if he believes in it, if he doesn’t want to head back toward Europe.”
He advised that Starmer should “keep his eye on the ball and look out after British interests.”
Bolton told GB News that Trump would be ‘open’ to a free trade agreement with the UK
GB News
Starmer has firmly rejected suggestions that Britain must choose between its allies.
“Against the backdrop of these dangerous times, the idea that we must choose between our allies – that somehow we’re with either America or Europe – is plain wrong. I reject it utterly,” he declared at the banquet.
He emphasised that despite past Labour criticism of Trump, including foreign secretary David Lammy once describing him as a “tyrant in a toupee”, Britain would never turn away from the US.
“The special relationship” was forged on the battlefields of two world wars, he added.
