As U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepares to meet with President Donald Trump on Thursday, he faces the challenge of maintaining a delicate balance, striving to preserve his political standing while also nurturing the crucial alliance between London and Washington.
However, Starmer’s domestic challenges extend beyond the complex international landscape, as his approval ratings have been declining.
The U.K. underwent a significant political shift in July 2024 when voters ended the Conservative Party’s 14-year rule and elected the Labour Party, led by Starmer. However, in the months following his victory, Starmer’s approval ratings have suffered.
Reportedly, Starmer’s declining support is linked to controversial issues such as the cancellation of a winter fuel payment program, policy changes , and partisan disagreements on matters like immigration, knife crime, and a contentious agreement involving the Chagos Islands and a substantial payment to Mauritius.
Colin Brazier, a distinguished retired English journalist and seasoned observer of U.K. culture wars, remarked to Digital that Starmer’s approval ratings have “fallen faster than almost any previous incumbent” after approximately eight months in office.
He attributes this decline to “new taxes on everything from schools to farms and a sense that Britain is ‘undeveloping’ before our very eyes. Immigration on a scale never before seen is testing the Welfare State, transport network, housing stock and National Health Service to destruction. Starmer’s Labour Party detests MAGA at a cellular level. But their beleaguered leader needs to show statesmanship, and a picture with the president does that.”
However, one foreign policy expert suggests that the meeting between Starmer and Trump could provide an opportunity for the Prime Minister to improve his standing at home while also strengthening diplomatic relations.
Alan Mendoza, Executive Director of the Henry Jackson Society, a non-partisan U.K.-based think tank, told Digital, “I think what he’s obviously been doing is trying to take the edge off some of President Trump’s sort of … then trying to put Britain in the best positive light when it comes to the president’s considerations.”
“The polling tells you that President Trump is very unpopular in Britain,” Mendoza stated. “But that doesn’t mean that the British government is going to listen to those opinion polls. The British government has to govern.”
He further added, “British people may have a certain view of President Trump, but the British government, the British political class, may well have a very different view of what he’s trying to achieve and where they should be positioning themselves.”
Despite Starmer’s declining ratings and Trump’s low favorability among the British public, Mendoza does not believe these factors will dictate Starmer’s approach to his meeting with Trump on Thursday.
Instead, Mendoza cited the successful meeting between Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron as a potential model for Starmer’s discussions.
“I think there would be a path to great popularity if he’s able to shape President Trump’s thinking on certain subjects,” Mendoza said.
Starmer’s ability to influence Trump could have immediate consequences, as issues directly affecting the finances of British citizens are expected to be high on the agenda, including the potential imposition of U.S. tariffs on U.K. steel.
The British embassy confirmed to Digital that discussions are expected to cover U.S.-U.K. defense alliances and support for Ukraine, as well as shared economic and trade partnerships.
Jonathan Reynolds, the U.K. Secretary for Business and Trade, told the BBC this month that Britain hopes to address Trump’s threat to impose 25% tariffs on U.K. steel, given its “very specialized” trading position on steel and aluminum.
According to a British embassy spokesperson, Starmer intends to emphasize the economic “synergies” between the U.K. and the U.S. in areas such as tech, AI, trade, and investments.
“That’s going to be a big priority,” spokesman Ed Roman stated.