Keir Starmer finds himself at the center of a new controversy involving Donald Trump after London Mayor Sadiq Khan warned of a “resurgent fascism” on the eve of Trump’s inauguration. This latest clash threatens to further strain the delicate UK-US relationship.

Allies of Prime Minister Keir Starmer quickly distanced themselves from Khan’s remarks, which were condemned by the Conservatives as “unacceptable.” This diplomatic spat comes at a particularly challenging time, as Trump is reportedly considering rejecting Starmer’s choice for UK ambassador to the US, Lord Mandelson.

Adding to the tensions, the Trump administration remains displeased with Labour staffers who campaigned for the Democrats during the recent US presidential race.

Khan’s remarks, warned of “deeply worrying times, especially if you’re a member of a minority community,” attributing the rise of populist leaders to economic concerns and distrust in political institutions.

“In Germany, the AfD is on course for a breakthrough in next month’s federal elections. In France, the National Rally is topping presidential polls. And, of course, in the US, Donald Trump is back.”
Sadiq Khan

He also criticized Trump ally Elon Musk, accusing him of using social media to promote far-right propaganda.

In response, Treasury minister Darren Jones rejected Khan’s comments, emphasizing, “President-elect Trump won an enormous election victory in the United States.” Jones defended the nomination of Lord Mandelson as ambassador, praising him as a “brilliant” choice and highlighting the Prime Minister’s intent to approach diplomacy differently.

“For the first time in, I think, maybe 50 years… a British Prime Minister has picked a politician to be the ambassador in DC. We have brilliant diplomats, but the reason the Prime Minister picked Peter Mandelson was because we want to do things differently.”
Darren Jones

The decision to nominate a seasoned politician rather than a career diplomat signals a strategic shift in how the UK intends to manage its transatlantic relations under Starmer’s leadership.

Meanwhile, shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel harshly criticized Khan’s warnings, calling them “absolutely unacceptable” and urging Starmer to rein in the mayor. She remarked, “Perhaps his mayor should really now just keep his views to himself, because Trump has a mandate and a big majority, and we should respect that.”

A History of Labour-Related Trump Controversies

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also weighed in, suggesting that the government is “getting off to the worst possible start” with the incoming Trump administration due to the row over Mandelson. He said, “The honest truth is that our government is getting off to the worst possible start with the incoming Trump administration.”

This isn’t the first time Starmer has been embroiled in controversies over Labour members’ remarks about Trump. In 2018, then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy referred to Trump as a “neo-Nazi sympathizing sociopath” and, in an earlier tweet, called Trump a “racist KKK and Nazi sympathizer.”

Lammy has since downplayed his past comments, suggesting that many politicians had harsh words for Trump “back in the day.” Despite these efforts to move past previous tensions, the recurring nature of such controversies highlights the ongoing challenges Starmer faces in managing internal party dynamics while navigating the complexities of UK-US diplomacy.