Donald Trump joked in his latest call with Sir Keir Starmer about coyotes needing weight-loss drugs after becoming fat feasting on the remains of birds killed by flying into wind turbines, it has emerged.
Despite a dull readout published by Downing Street in December, which said the prime minister congratulated the president-elect before the pair discussed “the close and historic relationship between the UK and the US”, it has been reported Mr Trump veered wildly off course.
At one point during the December call, Mr Trump is said to have become obsessed with the number of birds dying by flying into wind turbines, joking that coyotes in the US were becoming so fat they could need weight-loss medication.
Mr Trump then told the PM about his meeting with the Prince of Wales after the reopening of Notre Dame in Paris, complimenting his “modern” beard, The Times reported.
He then discussed his golf course in Scotland before praising Sir Keir’s wife, Lady Victoria Starmer, describing her as “beautiful” and the PM’s “greatest asset”.
The reported details of the call are a far cry from a Downing Street spokesman’s official readout and is indicative of the challenge Sir Keir will face negotiating with Mr Trump when he returns to the White House.
It comes after an escalating row between Sir Keir and Mr Trump’s administration, with the PM facing repeated attacks by one of the president-elect’s biggest allies Elon Musk.
In a deepening of the rift, Mr Trump himself lashed out at the PM on Friday over the UK’s decision to transition away from oil and gas power.
In a social media post, Mr Trump referenced the decision by oil and gas producer Apache to ditch the UK, saying: “The UK is making a very big mistake. Open up the North Sea. Get rid of windmills!”.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband has pledged to achieve clean power by 2030, putting the UK on a potential collision course with Mr Trump who has promised to expand US oil and gas production.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, an ally of Mr Trump, also piled in on the government’s energy policy, responding to his post saying: “I agree 100 per cent.”
It comes after a week in which tech billionaire Mr Musk, who is set to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency in the Trump administration, repeatedly criticised Sir Keir’s handling of historic child abuse in Oldham and suggested the prime minister had failed to bring “rape gangs” to justice when he was director of public prosecutions.
At the time, Downing Street’s official readout of Sir Keir’s call with president-elect trump said: “The Prime Minister spoke to President-elect Donald Trump this afternoon from Downing Street.
“The Prime Minister began by congratulating President-elect Trump on his recent team appointments and President-elect Trump warmly recounted his meeting with His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales in Paris earlier this month.
“Both agreed on their joint ambition to strengthen the close and historic relationship between the UK and the US. They looked forward to working together on shared priorities, including international security and delivering economic growth and prosperity.
“Turning to global conflicts, the Prime Minister reiterated the need for allies to stand together with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression and to ensure Ukraine is in the strongest possible position.
“On the Middle East, the Prime Minister underscored the need to work together to ensure peace and security in the region.”
