In a heated exchange during Prime Minister’s Questions, Labour leader Keir Starmer has accused the Conservative government of aligning with US President Donald Trump’s efforts to “undermine” the UK’s position on the future of Greenland.
Starmer, who has previously sought to maintain a cordial relationship with Trump, has now noticeably hardened his rhetoric towards the US president. He told the House of Commons that Trump’s condemnation of the Chagos Islands deal with Mauritius was intended to weaken the UK’s resolve over Greenland, a largely autonomous territory of Denmark.
The Prime Minister, Kemi Badenoch, had earlier questioned Starmer on the opposition’s stance, prompting the Labour leader to argue that the Conservative leader was adopting Trump’s comments about the Chagos Islands to push back against the government’s position on Greenland.
Starmer accused Badenoch of “undermining the government’s position” on Greenland, which he described as a “binary issue that is splitting the world at the moment with material consequences.”
The dispute over Greenland’s future has emerged as a significant geopolitical flashpoint, with Trump previously threatening to impose escalating trade tariffs on European nations, including the UK, if they refuse to allow the US to take control of the vast Arctic island.
Nigel Farage, the leader of the Reform UK party, has argued that the world would be “more secure” if the US took over Greenland, citing the region’s strategic importance due to the retreating ice caps and the continued expansion of Russian and Chinese influence in the High North.
However, Starmer has maintained that he has been “clear and consistent” in his position on Greenland, refusing to yield to Trump’s pressure. The Prime Minister’s office has also expressed its opposition to any US designs on Greenland without the consent of its people.
As the debate over Greenland’s sovereignty continues to unfold, the transatlantic tensions between the UK and the US have become increasingly apparent, with the Labour leader’s hardened stance against Trump’s interventions signalling a potential shift in the traditionally close relationship between the two nations.
