UK PM Keir Starmer came under fire on the Jeremy Vine show this morning as Express columnist Carole Malone delivered a scathing critique of his approach to Trump’s upcoming “liberation day”. Malone complained about Starmer’s handling of UK US relations, branding the Labour leader “weak”.

Her commentary comes in the wake of Starmer’s recent visit to the White House, where he tried to reinforce a positive relationship with Trump while navigating trade tensions. Malone hit out at the Prime Minister, saying: “You know, this is a leader who has no backbone. Starmer has no ideas. He has no idea how to handle a man like Trump. He just doesn’t know,” as she added: “He’s a pushover.”

She continued to savage Starmer, adding: “He’s weak, he’s always been weak. It’s what we said before he was elected. Yet still, people voted him in. I still can’t quite believe it. He has shown to be a weak leader. I think he’s floundering with someone like Trump. He’s not going to say anything aggressive to him, he’s not going to be bullish with him because he’s terrified of the consequences.”

Jeremy Vine pointed out that Starmer had initially received praise for not antagonising Trump. However, the presenter went on to question if this strategy is effective now in the face of Trump’s escalating trade war.

Despite his misgivings about Starmer’s refusal to square up to the US President, he did admit that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s firm stance backfired in his recent conversation with Trump.

Vine pointed out: “Look at what happened when Zelensky went there and did a couple of firm words. He got completely toasted. I don’t know how we deal with it. Can we not just say, right from now on, we’re on our own, we’ve done Brexit for better or for worse?”

Malone’s criticism of Starmer’s leadership comes as Trump is preparing to announce sweeping new tariffs on foreign imports.

While the exact details of the tariffs have not been revealed yet, sources indicate that they could hit the UK hard, with potential levies on steel, aluminum, and automotive imports.

The unpredictability of Trump’s trade policies has already rattled global markets and put major trading partners on edge. A report by the Wall Street Journal has suggested Trump may enforce a 20 percent blanket tariff on all imports, with further penalties specifically targeting Mexico and Canada.

However, Channel 5 panelist Phi Jones appeared hopeful, pointing out that the UK is not alone in facing Trump’s aggression. He told Jeremy Vine: “We’re not on our own, we’re with the rest of the world, because this President has declared world war on the rest of the world. We stand together.”