EXCLUSIVE: Britain V Trump! How U.K. Prime Minister Could Bar King Charles From Touring States Over The Don's 'Mafia-Style' Greenland Threats
Sir Keir Starmer is under mounting pressure to block King Charles from touring the United States as allies recoil from Donald Trump's escalating threats to punish Europe.
Jan. 24 2026, Published 5:00 p.m. ET
Sir Keir Starmer is under mounting pressure to block King Charles from touring the United States as allies recoil from Donald Trump's escalating threats to punish Europe unless it bends to Washington's will over Greenland.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the British prime minister, 62, is facing calls from across Parliament to cancel the King's mooted state visit to Washington this spring after Trump, 79, warned countries opposing a U.S. takeover of the oil-rich Danish territory would face sweeping trade penalties.
Tariff Threats Spark Fury Across Parliament
Sir Keir Starmer is facing pressure to block King Charles from visiting the United States.
In a message posted online, Trump boomed that tariffs would begin at 10 percent on February 1 and could rise to 25 percent by June, singling out the U.K., France, Germany and Denmark.
The intervention has alarmed NATO partners and sharpened fears about the future of the alliance, eight decades after its founding.
Simon Hoare, a senior Conservative Member of Parliament, is among those urging a hard response.
He said: "The civilized world can deal with Trump no longer. He is a gangster pirate."
The minister also urged fellow MPs to rethink the optics of rolling out royal pageantry while allies are threatened.
Government Walks Tightrope On King's Visit
Starmer criticized tariffs against NATO allies.
Speaking for the government, the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, underlined Britain's position on Greenland's sovereignty.
"We believe it is wrong, we believe it is deeply unhelpful," she said in an interview on the BBC, while declining to be drawn on whether the King's visit should proceed, instead pointing to the "depth" of the transatlantic relationship.
Economists have warned fresh U.S. tariffs could push the U.K. back onto recession watch, while senior European parliamentarians have threatened to freeze E.U. / U.S. trade talks in retaliation.
The prospect of a renewed global trade war has returned to the fore as markets weigh Trump's rhetoric against his record of following through.
Starmer Issues Rare Public Rebuke
European leaders condemned Trump’s threats.
Starmer, who has invested political capital in maintaining workable ties with the White House, issued one of his most forceful rebukes yet.
The prime minister said: "Our position on Greenland is very clear, it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes."
He added: "Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong. We will, of course, be pursuing this directly with the U.S. administration."
Europe Pushes Back As Nato Fears Grow
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Palace aides fear diplomatic fallout from a U.S. tour.
France's president, Emmanuel Macron, echoed the anger, promising coordination with European partners.
"No intimidation nor threat will influence us, neither in Ukraine, nor in Greenland, nor anywhere else in the world when we are confronted with such situations," he said, adding tariff threats were "unacceptable".
Right-wing Reform U.K. leader Nigel Farage struck a softer note. "We do not always agree with the US government, and in this case we certainly do not. These tariffs will hurt us," he said online.
His deputy Richard Tice said Trump's concern about China in the Arctic was understandable but misjudged.
"On this the president has got it wrong," he said.
Britain's former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt dismissed the idea of a U.S. invasion of Greenland but warned of a tense standoff.
"To invade the sovereign territory of a NATO ally would mean the end of NATO," he said, calling the moment "squeaky bum time."
Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton described the tariff threat as uniquely reckless.
"Its ramifications for the special relationship and NATO alliance… is incalculable," he said, as protests in Denmark and Nuuk swelled under chants of: "Greenland is not for sale."
