The Mirror’s Associate Editor and politics columnist has his say about Keir Starmer’s increasingly awkward position following Donald Trump’s takedown of Volodymyr Zelensky
He’s skilfully walking a tightrope rather than lazily sitting on a fence but Keir Starmer eventually, perhaps in days and weeks rather than months or years, will be forced to choose between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump.
We see from his hugs that his heart is with invaded European democracy Ukraine yet his head is simultaneously telling the Prime Minister to strain every sinew to keep on side Donald Trump, an unhinged US authoritarian White nationalist apologist for tyrannical Vladimir Putin.
Having your cake and eating it was the impossible cakeism of Boris Johnson, a morally and politically bankrupt ousted Tory PM – now Chamberlain not Churchill – after betraying Zelensky in championing Trump for the White House.
OK, Starmer’s enjoying his finest spell as PM, embracing Zelensky and marshalling European support while swallowing his pride to flatter thin-skinned Trump and exploit an unlikely bromance to avert the shameful surrender of Ukraine. But it can’t and won’t last.
Not because sucking up to Trump is demeaning, although it is. The US ogre’s already bounced Britain into splashing another £20billion on a wasteful, inefficient and profligate Ministry of Defence, partly at the expense of lost lives in poorer countries and under-rated British soft power.
And even this republican is uneasy at the prostitution of the Royal Family, while all hell will be unleashed if the unprecedented second state visit includes inviting the leader of an attempted coup to address both Houses of Parliament.
Starmer pushed back a little against Trump and equally odious assistant JD Vance during the extraordinary summit but it was hardly speaking truth unto power.
Maybe wisely when a softly, softly, catchee monkey approach spared the PM a pre-planned mugging suffered by Zelensky.
Choosing between Europe and the USA is exactly what Starmer doesn’t want to do and will inevitably need to when Trump and Vance don’t give a monkey’s for a Zelensky sordidly branded a dictator and Ukraine falsely blamed for starting Russia’s invasion.
Because this vile duo do care about withholding US military equipment and Putin is an autocrat they admire and seek to emulate.
Starmer will run from a pivotal choice but hiding forever from it isn’t ultimately an option.