Keir Starmer displayed several ‘self-comfort gestures’ during his meeting with Donald Trump – and appeared particularly uneasy over one topic of conversation, a body language expert has claimed
Sir Keir Starmer appeared nervous during a high-stakes meeting with Donald Trump in Scotland today when the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza came up, according to a body language expert.
The encounter came just a day after President Trump announced a landmark trade deal with the European Union, setting tariffs at 15% after months of uncertainty. According to body language expert Judi James, the Labour leader displayed several self-comfort gestures during the meeting at Turnberry golf course – and appeared particularly uneasy when the conversation turned to Gaza – at one point folding his arms tightly across his chest in what she described as a “full body barrier,” indicating clear discomfort.
Judi explained: “This looked very much like Trump’s solo press conference, with the Starmers flanking him on either side like bookends.” Lady Starmer performed “a poker face while Starmer himself let off an endless volley of anxiety and self-comfort rituals”, she added.
“Starmer played with his cuffs in a partial barrier ritual and he stroked his cuff with his thumb in a self-comfort gesture. He pulled his jacket together and at one point he clearly went to fold his arms but thought better of it, self-policing and turning it into a truncated gesture instead. When the subject moved to Gaza though, Starmer went fully into his body barrier, folding his arms across his torso and repeating the ritual more than once to suggest discomfort.”
It comes amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with at least eight more Palestinians having died from starvation in the past 24 hours. Israeli airstrikes continued overnight and into this morning, killing 22 people today and 63 on Sunday as they sought aid. So far, 135 people have starved to death, including 87 children, according to local health officials. On Sunday, the Israeli military began daily ten-hour pauses in three populated areas of Gaza, amid growing alarm over the soaring hunger crisis.
During talks with Trump, Starmer also sought to “re-create the signals of a bromance” that began with a hand on Trump’s shoulder in the White House earlier this year, according to Judi James.
The body language expert added: “This time he appeared thwarted by Trump who paid avid attention to Lady Starmer during their greeting ritual, clasping both her and Starmer by the upper arm as he shook hands with Starmer, calling her the ‘First Lady’, and claiming bizarrely and repeatedly that she was a respected person all over the US’.
“Starmer used stealth though and, with Trump’s press conference partly drowned out by bagpipes, he finally chose his moment and, in a move reminiscent of Rod Hull’s Emu, he suddenly stuck his arm out to grasp Trump on the shoulder in a ‘bromance’ kind of a way.”
Before the pair entered the building, Trump was asked what advice he’d give to the UK about small boats. The question was drowned out by bagpipes, so he asked Starmer what was asked. The PM mistranslated, claiming it was a point about how “we’re doing a lot to stop it” in a swift act of re-direction.
Judi said: “His shuffling suggested he was keen to get into the building to get the real business done and before the subject of ‘windmills’ came up, but by then Trump was telling the cameras that ‘If I weren’t around you’d have six major wars going on’ and referring to himself in the third person as ‘Trump’.”