The transatlantic theatre took a bitter turn today. Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s prime minister, called Donald Trump a liar. His crime? Claiming she ‘begged’ for a photo at the G7. Downing Street? Silent. Watching. Calculating.
This is not a spat. This is a dog whistle. Trump’s story paints Meloni as a supplicant. A desperate leader seeking a selfie with the alpha. Meloni’s rebuttal is volcanic: ‘He made it up.’ Her office confirmed no such request was made. The Italian press is howling.
But the real story is in London. Starmer’s team have placed their G7 photo-op on ice. No comment. No denial. No backing Meloni. Why? Because they are playing a longer game. The Whitehall whisper is that they fear Trump’s return. They do not want to pick a fight with a man who could be president again.
This is a classic ‘two-step’ from No.10: Step one, say nothing. Step two, wait for the dust to settle. Then pivot. The calculation is brutal: Meloni is a useful ally against migration, but Trump is a voter magnet in key swing states. Why risk a tweet-storm for Rome?
Labour backbenchers are restless. The left flank wants a statement supporting Meloni. The right flank, the ‘Starmerites’, urge caution. ‘We don’t need a diplomatic row before the election,’ one senior figure told me, off the record.
Polling data this morning shows a dip in trust for Starmer among eurosceptic voters. The fear is that any pro-Meloni stance could be spun as ‘anti-American’. Expect a carefully worded statement by Friday. Carefully bland.
Meloni knows the game. She is playing to her base at home, where standing up to Trump is a badge of honour. But in Westminster, the silence is deafening. It speaks volumes about the realpolitik of the special relationship.
The bottom line: Trump’s lie is a test. Starmer has blinked. The question is whether that blink becomes a flinch.
