The prime minister will take to the Downing Avenue lectern this morning, after one other extraordinary weekend of diplomatic turmoil prompted by US President Donald Trump.
Sir Keir Starmer is aware of that individuals and companies within the UK will count on him to reply, in entrance of the cameras, to the prospect of the UK and European allies being hammered by extra US tariffs.
It’s the newest twist within the row over Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory Trump needs to get his fingers on.
Trump has mentioned he’ll impose new taxes on eight US allies – Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK – on 1 February in the event that they proceed to oppose his proposed takeover of Greenland.
One long-standing observer of Western diplomacy instructed me: “That is extraordinary. We’ve not seen something like this in 80 years.
“That is pure political coercion towards Nato allies over the tried seizing of a piece of territory – it is astonishing.”
Anticipate Sir Keir to reiterate that he believes the imposition of tariffs can be a mistake, and clarify that’s one thing he spelt out on to Trump on the cellphone on Sunday.
Downing Avenue mentioned Sir Keir spoke to the Danish prime minister, the president of the European Fee and the Nato secretary common on Sunday, earlier than calling Trump.
Labour insiders, nicely conscious that is one other blast of turbulence they may frankly do with out, argue the capability of the UK to be central to those diplomatic conversations is all the way down to their “reset” with the EU and their establishing a robust relationship, regardless of apparent political variations, with the Trump administration.
However when pressed on what would possibly occur subsequent, or what the subsequent transfer from European allies may be, there’s, from some, a shrug of the shoulders. That is maybe comprehensible – these are unprecedented developments and the choices open to European powers are restricted.
Some fear that any countermeasures from European nations might deepen the breakdown in relations with Washington and harm Europe as a lot if no more than they might harm the US.
The query now’s whether or not a face-to-face assembly with Trump, maybe involving a set of European leaders, would possibly make a distinction. The president is due on the World Financial Discussion board in Davos in Switzerland this week.
Within the meantime, Downing Avenue and the Overseas Workplace proceed to hit the telephones as they discover their choices as to how they may reply.
They rue too that, but once more, the White Home imposing diplomatic G-forces on supposed allies the likes of which have by no means been seen earlier than means the prime minister’s want to concentrate on issues about the price of residing get squeezed out once more.
There have been three Mondays thus far in 2026 – and on two of them Sir Keir had deliberate journeys exterior London to speak up what he says the federal government is doing to assist individuals who have confronted spiralling payments.
A fortnight in the past he took reporters, myself included, to a group centre in Studying to just do this – however ended up going through infinite questions on Venezuela and Greenland.
As we speak, an analogous journey was deliberate however then ditched, given what occurred over the weekend.
Sir Keir will try and argue in his information convention that worldwide and home points are indivisible – and that being actively concerned and brought severely on the worldwide stage helps cope with most of the home issues tens of millions of voters can have.
Simply earlier than the newest convulsions over Greenland, the prime minister and the international secretary attended an occasion simply down the street from Downing Avenue – an occasion that might serve to underline the magnitude of what was to observe.
On Saturday lunchtime, individuals gathered in Westminster on the birthplace of the United Nations, to mark the eightieth anniversary of the founding of the organisation within the aftermath of World Warfare Two.
In 1946, that first gathering of the UN Basic Meeting occurred, in London, simply 4 months after the struggle’s conclusion.
It marked the beginning of a set of worldwide organisations to emerge in these put up struggle years, not least the defence alliance Nato, established 4 years later in 1949.
Not lengthy after Overseas Secretary Yvette Cooper and UN Secretary Basic Antonio Guterres had eaten lunch, a parable of our instances started to unfold: yet one more upending of Western diplomatic conference, courtesy of a put up on social media from the US president.
But once more, Trump was shredding the worldwide norms and conventions organisations just like the UN and Nato had been set as much as espouse all these years in the past.
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