Donald Trump and Keir Starmer have recently been involved in a war of words over the Iran conflict.
Donald Trump has seemingly taken a subtle dig at Sir Keir Starmer after the Labour Party suffered a monumental collapse in the local elections.
John Swinney, serving as First Minister, declared victory early in the count—after just eight of the 129 seats had been announced—asserting that the SNP was on course to remain the largest party “by a considerable margin.” Only minutes before, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar had already acknowledged defeat, as his party’s support fell sharply amid voter backlash linked to Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.
The US President wrote on Truth Social platform: “Congratulations to John Swinney on winning his Re-Election for First Minister of Scotland. He is a good man, who worked very hard, along with the King and Queen of the United Kingdom, with respect to Tariff relief for Great Scottish Whiskey — and deserves this Big Electoral Victory! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Mr Trump has been expressing his disappointment with the UK Prime Minister, saying the UK and other allies should have given the US more support over Iran.
He also said Starmer could only “recover” politically if he changed course on immigration and “opened the North Sea”. Mr Trump told BBC: “If he doesn’t, I don’t think he has a chance.”
Following Trump’s remarks, Starmer had said: “I’m here to serve the British people always, to have their interests and to make sure that I make the right decisions for them.”
“That is why I took the decision that we would not be dragged into the war in Iran. That is why I took the decision we wouldn’t be dragged into the blockade of the Strait [of Hormuz].
“That is in our best national interest. That is my duty. I will stick to it, and I’m not going to be diverted or deflected from that by what anybody else says.”
Meanwhile, Keir Starmer sent an email to Scottish Labour members, saying it was a “really tough result and a difficult day” for the party.
Sir Keir said they owed a “huge debt of gratitude to Anas for the energy he brought to the campaign”.
He added: “I know how much today hurts. As Labour leader and Prime Minister I take my responsibility seriously. When Scottish voters send a message like this, it’s important to reflect and respond.
“The government I lead has always sought to deliver change to all parts of the United Kingdom. But I know people in Scotland are still deeply frustrated. They feel let down by decades of a failed status quo. And their lives aren’t changing fast enough.”
He concluded: “Today is tough but the results do not weaken my determination to deliver for Scotland, they strengthen it.”