Yves here. One can wonder whether Trump was responsible for Starmer’s exit, as opposed to getting in front of the announcement to make it seem as if he played a central role. Alexander Mercouris has pointed to earlier inflection points, particularly the Mandelson scandal, where he then thought Starmer’s departure was imminent. But having doubts about that issue does not invalidate the rest of Helmer’s take on the very much fallen state of US-British relations.
By John Helmer, the longest continuously serving foreign correspondent in Russia, and the only western journalist to direct his own bureau independent of single national or commercial ties. Helmer has also been a professor of political science, and an advisor to government heads in Greece, the United States, and Asia. He is the first and only member of a US presidential administration (Jimmy Carter) to establish himself in Russia. Originally published at Dances with Bears
When President Donald Trump (lead image, 3rd left) announced the resignation of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (right) to make sure he would announce it himself without delay, he threw overboard the special relationship. He also declared that British foreign and domestic policy is to become – already has become — a colonial one.
In the history of British empire that hasn’t happened for almost two thousand years. Not since the Roman Emperor Claudius, accompanied by 40,000 troops, declared the island a province of his empire in 43 AD, and Emperor Hadrian followed in 122, ordering the construction of his defensive wall against the Pictish north. Today, Trump has pushed further northwards than the Romans; bought the rebellious Picts off; and constructed a golf course 230 miles north of Hadrian’s Wall.
“The special relationship is in operation right now,” Starmer had claimed in March. “We are working together in the region, the U.S. and the British working together to protect both the U.S. and the British in joint bases, where we’re jointly located and we’re sharing intelligence on a 24/7 basis in the usual way.” /
Trump began declaring otherwise when he issued Starmer his first marching order on the Indian Ocean island base of Diego Garcia in February.
“Our relationship with the United Kingdom is a strong and powerful one,” Trump tweeted, “and it has been for many years, but Prime Minister Starmer is losing control of this important Island by claims of entities never known of before. In our opinion, they are fictitious in nature. Should Iran decide not to make a Deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the Airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime — An attack that would potentially be made on the United Kingdom, as well as other friendly Countries. Prime Minister Starmer should not lose control, for any reason, of Diego Garcia, by entering a tenuous, at best, 100 Year Lease. This land should not be taken away from the U.K. and, if it is allowed to be, it will be a blight on our Great Ally. We will always be ready, willing, and able to fight for the U.K., but they have to remain strong in the face of Wokeism, and other problems put before them. DO NOT GIVE AWAY DIEGO GARCIA!”
A month later, replying to Starmer’s special relationship fealty pledge, Trump said: “The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East. That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer — But we will remember. We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!”
In April, Trump told Starmer he should not have sent Peter Mandelson to Washington as UK ambassador. “He ‘exercised wrong judgement’ when he chose his Ambassador to Washington. I agree, he was a really bad pick. Plenty of time to recover, however!”
Then on the advice of his banker and election financier Warren Stephens, the President’s ambassador in London, Trump decided that recovery time for Starmer had run out. He demanded he walk the plank. “Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom. He failed badly on two very important subjects- IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!). I wish him well!”
Starmer’s replacement is now a bidding contest for all aspiring British party politicians to receive Trump’s favour to take power in the next election; that must be held within three years, by August 2029.
In British voter polling of their party and prime ministerial preferences, this makes Trump more popular than Starmer of the Labour Party and Nigel Farage of the Reform Party. Actually, at minus 64 percentage points Trump is relatively less unpopular than Starmer and Farage. He is still ahead, negatively speaking, of former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn; he is trailing behind Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative Party leader.
By this measure, King Charles III is the frontrunner in the colony. He has a net favourability rating of plus 26%. “The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking,” Trump patronised the monarch on April 30. “In Honor of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom, who have just left the White House, soon headed back to their wonderful Country, I will be removing the Tariffs and Restrictions on Whiskey having to do with Scotland’s ability to work with the Commonwealth of Kentucky on Whiskey and Bourbon, two very important Industries within Scotland and Kentucky. People have wanted to do this for a long time, in that there had been great Inter-Country Trade, especially having to do with the Wooden Barrels used.”
Wooden barrels for 2026 to send the same American message that teachests had in 1773.
Trailing far behind Charles III, Starmer’s likely successor, Andrew Burnham, former Birmingham city mayor, is starting at plus 4%. That is so low, the empire pollsters in the White House and CIA are calculating, that Burnham will have to follow the Trump line on boosting British defence spending on US arms procurement; on joining the permanent war against Iran; and on defending the US-Israeli genocide and redevelopment plan for Gaza.
Burnham has already made a record of his subservience on each of these issues. Click to view here, and here, and here. In the new podcast with Pelle Neroth Taylor (London) and Martin Sieff (Washington), we discuss the dire straits for the British and the Hormuz Strait for the Americans and Russians. Click to view or listen.
