Donald Trump has said that that Sir Keir Starmer should “learn to deal” in the same manner as King Charles, as he continues his criticism of the prime minister.
In response to the US state visit, the president praised the monarch as a “fantastic guy” but said he did not know if it will help to improve his relationship with Downing Street.
When asked by Sky News, he said: “I can’t give you an answer to that.
“I can tell you one thing, our relationship is very good, but you know, that’s another individual. We’ll find out.
“But I like Keir Starmer very much, but I think he’s made a tragic mistake on immigration and a tragic mistake on energy.”
When asked about the nature of Charles’ speech to Congress, which placed specific emphasis on the importance of transatlantic alliances and Nato, Mr Trump said: “He’s a much different person than your prime minister.
“Your prime minister has to learn to deal the way he deals, and he’ll do a lot better.”
Referring to the King, Mr Trump said: “I thought he was fantastic. It was a brilliant speech. It was delivered beautifully, with that beautiful accent that he’s got. And everybody… he got a standing ovation. And I thought it was fantastic in all respects.”
The King and Queen Camilla have now said farewell to the US president and first lady as they near the end of a frenetic four-day state visit.
The couple have fulfilled a packed agenda since touching down in Washington on Monday, while smoothing transatlantic tensions over the Iran war.
As he waved off the royal couple, Mr Trump said: “Really great people. We need more people like that in our country.”
He then turned to the cameras and added: “He’s a great king. The greatest king in my book.”
Their busy and varied schedule took the royal couple from taking tea at the White House with Mr Trump and his wife Melania, and a garden party at the British embassy, to meeting tech moguls, a high-profile visit to Congress and a white-tie banquet in their honour.
They also travelled to New York where they left flowers and paid their respects at the memorial to the thousands killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks almost 25 years ago.
The most closely watched event of the trip, to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, was Charles’s historic address on Capitol Hill to a joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives.
He was only the second British monarch to do so after his mother Queen Elizabeth II in 1991, and the first British king.
In his well-received speech, which drew repeated applause and standing ovations, Charles acknowledged the recent fractious UK-US relations, telling the audience of legislators that “we can perhaps agree that we do not always agree” and pointed out it was an enduring partnership “born out of dispute”.
He also sought to put current difficulties into context, with the two nations’ defence and security ties “hard-wired together through relationships measured not in years, but in decades”.
