‘Tough for Starmer to survive’, says Trump as he weighs in on Labour leadership chaos
Donald Trump has said it will be “tough” for Sir Keir Starmer to survive as he fights to cling on as leader of the Labour Party.
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Labour has found itself engulfed in leadership battle drama after the party lost more than 1,400 seats in its worst local election results in more than 50 years last week.
Asked by journalists whether the Prime Minister can weather the storm, the US President said: “It’s a tough thing.
“Unless he can straighten out immigration, where he’s weak, and if he doesn’t start drilling and stop with the windmills all over the place that are causing havoc.”
Mr Trump was also asked whether Sir Keir should step down as leader.
“I don’t say [that]. I think he’s a nice man, actually.
Read more: Streeting backs Burnham claiming he has 'best chance of winning' Makerfield by-election
“But I mean, I didn’t like what he said ‘We’re going to send ships as soon as you’re finished with the war’. Well, we are sort of finished militarily, pretty much,” he said.
More than 88 Labour MPs have publicly called for Sir Keir to resign after the electoral bloodbath - while a separate list of over 110 Labour MPs has called for him to stay in post.
On Thursday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigned from his post in the Cabinet in a dramatic departure - suggesting he will soon challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the leadership.
In a letter to Sir Keir, Mr Streeting said on Thursday he had "lost confidence" in the PM's leadership and that remaining in post would be "dishonourable and unprincipled".
Mr Streeting told the Prime Minister it was “now clear that you will not lead the Labour Party into the next general election”.
Meanwhile, Andy Burnham declared he would seek permission from Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) to contest a by-election after the current MP, Josh Simons, announced on Thursday he would quit to make way for the Greater Manchester Mayor.
If he is successful, the mayor is also expected to go for the top spot in the party and has been tipped as a frontrunner to replace Sir Keir.
Former deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has also been tipped as a potential replacement and on Thursday said she has been cleared of deliberate wrongdoing in an investigation over her tax affairs, paving the way for a potential leadership bid.