𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

US President Donald Trump isn’t shy about declaring who should run other countries. And it seems he’s had enough of Sir Keir Starmer. Mr Trump sent armed forces to capture Nicolás Maduro, the President of Venezuela, leaving vice-president Delcy Gómez in charge. And now he wants to decide who runs Iran, following the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Mr Trump told journalists this week: “I have to be involved in the appointment.”

But there’s another country where Mr Trump would like to see regime change, albeit more peacefully – the UK. He’s had a love/hate relationship with our Prime Minister for many months. Mr Trump was delighted with his state visit to the UK last year, but that didn’t stop him from criticising the UK over issues such as immigration and energy policy. It’s all come to a head after the UK initially refused to allow the US to use our air bases during the assault on Iran.

Mr Trump raged that Britain’s response has been “very disappointing”, and insisted the US should be allowing America to use its bases “without question or hesitation”. The President said he was “not happy with the UK” and, in a personal attack on the Prime Minister, added: “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with.”

But there is one British politician with whom Mr Trump remains friendly.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is set to speak with the President at a dinner in Florida tonight.

Top of the agenda will be the UK’s plan to hand over the Chagos Islands, including a key military base on the island of Diego Garcia, to Mauritius – a plan the US appeared initially to support but has now turned against, although Mr Trump’s position is inconsistent.

Attending a ‘Save Chagos Boat Party’ organised by website Guido Fawkes, Mr Farage said on Thursday: “We think this is the central plan for this government’s foreign policy and we are beating them back.

President Trump has almost understood the deal, but I will be dining at Mar-a-Lago tomorrow night, and we will reinforce the message.”

It’s a bitter blow to Sir Keir, after the Iran crisis became the latest disaster to befall his Government.

There’s plenty of debate to be had about whether the UK should have offered the US more support from the start. They are meant to be our allies, after all – but many British people probably feel we shouldn’t get involved in another Middle East war.

However, what’s become clear is that the UK was also slow to defend its own interests, including a UK military base in Cyprus that came under attack from Iran’s allies (it seems that the attack did not come from Iran directly). In a humiliation for the UK, France initially had to send a ship to defend Cyprus instead.

Now, Mr Farage is set to meet the US President, aiming to undermine Sir Keir further by bolstering opposition to the Chagos plan.

It may sound hard to believe that the US would want to install a Government in the UK that the White House will find it easier to work with. However, Mr Trump’s administration has openly admitted that it is trying to influence who runs European countries – including ours.

The National Security Strategy published by the US last November warns that European nations are facing “civilizational erasure” and commits America to “cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory within European nations”. The strategy makes it clear that references to Europe include the UK.

It states: “American diplomacy should continue to stand up for genuine democracy, freedom of expression, and unapologetic celebrations of European nations’ individual character and history. America encourages its political allies in Europe to promote this revival of spirit, and the growing influence of patriotic European parties indeed gives cause for great optimism.

“Our goal should be to help Europe correct its current trajectory.”

Note the phrase “political allies in Europe”. It’s clear that, in Mr Trump’s eyes, that doesn’t include Keir Starmer. It does include Mr Farage.