Sir Keir Starmer is working hard to cosy up to Donald Trump’s incoming administration.
But on the streets of America, few people even know who the Prime Minister is.
A snap survey found barely eight per cent of New York residents know who Sir Keir is.
A journalist from Mail went around Manhattan yesterday and surveyed 100 individuals about their knowledge of the Prime Minister. Surprisingly, only eight respondents recognized him. Notably, two of these individuals were British visitors, and one was from Australia.
The others were either clueless or incorrectly guessed he was a TV star or even a ‘serial killer’.
This survey was conducted following a statement made by a supporter of Trump to the Mail on Sunday claiming that Sir Keir is unknown in the US. The ally expressed skepticism, stating that most Americans on the street would be unable to recognize Sir Keir.
‘I have no idea,’ said 19-year-old Eli, a New York resident. ‘A serial killer?’
‘I don’t care about who that is,’ 24-year-old John, from Atlanta, Georgia, said. ‘I thought it was Boris Johnson.’
A snap survey found barely eight per cent of New York residents know who Sir Keir (pictured at the Capitol Building in Washington DC in July 2024) is
President-elect Donald Trump at a rally in Washington DC before his inauguration today
A Mail reporter ventured onto the streets of Manhattan on a recent day to inquire if 100 people were familiar with the Prime Minister. Only eight acknowledged him, including two British tourists and one Australian citizen.
Lord Mandelson (pictured in June last year in London) is set to be the next US ambassador. But will the new Donald Trump administration accept him?
Another person said: ‘We have too many of our own problems to know who that is.’
Jane, 20, from New York, correctly guessed that Sir Keir was British as she asked: ‘Is he an advocate or something of Brexit?’
Another Manhattan resident said: ‘I’ve definitely seen him on TV. He’s definitely an actor but I don’t know what he’s in.’
Some respondents had a loose idea, including one who doubtfully said: ‘Yes…. is he the president of some European or Scandinavian country or something?’
Charlie Clark, 24, from the UK, described Starmer as being ‘sort of… limp’.
The Prime Minister’s relationship with Mr Trump is already strained after a string of senior Labour figures made disparaging remarks about him in the past.
The Labour Mayor of London, recently knighted Sir Sadiq Khan, said in a column for the Observer yesterday that Mr Trump’s election is part of ‘resurgent fascism haunting the West’.
He said: ‘The hard-right and far-right are on the march. These are deeply worrying times, especially if you’re a member of a minority community.’
Downing Street were forced to distance themselves yesterday, with Cabinet Minister Darren Jones saying: ‘I don’t agree with it. I speak on behalf of the government, and we don’t agree with it.’
Jane, 20, from New York, correctly guessed that Sir Keir (pictured in Poland last week) was British as she asked: ‘Is he an advocate or something of Brexit?’
Sir Sadiq Khan (pictured in September at Labour conference in Liverpool) said in a column for the Observer that Mr Trump’s election is part of ‘resurgent fascism haunting the West’
Just two years go, the Prime Minister himself attacked the Conservative Party by saying: ‘These aren’t Churchill’s Tories any more.
‘If anything, they behave more and more like Donald Trump. They look at the politics of America and want to bring that here.’
Health Secretary West Streeting branded Mr Trump an ‘odious, sad little man’, while Energy Secretary Ed Miliband suggested the UK should not share values with a ‘racist, misogynistic, self-confessed groper.’
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in 2018: ‘Trump is not only a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath, he is also a profound threat to the international order that has been the foundation of Western progress for so long.’
Labour have since softened their gone, however, with Sir Keir and his senior ministers striking a more diplomatic and conciliatory tone since Mr Trump’s election victory.
