United Kingdom in January 2026: the most important developments in politics
The United Kingdom in January 2026 was shaped by relations with President Donald Trump, starting with the Chagos Islands. On 20 January Trump called the UK's sovereignty deal with Mauritius an act of great stupidity and said it showed weakness to rivals such as China and Russia. The UK government replied that it would never compromise on national security. By 29 January the UK had reopened talks with the United States on the future of the archipelago.
Greenland was the second theme. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Trump in a phone call on 18 January that a tariff threat over Greenland was wrong. He then pursued a calm approach, distanced the UK from EU threats of retaliation and said he did not believe Trump would use force to seize Greenland. On 21 January he said he would not yield to pressure, while Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the UK would not rule out any response. Starmer and Trump also clashed over Trump's remarks on NATO troops in Afghanistan, which Starmer called appalling and insulting.
Starmer visited China from 28 to 31 January, his first official visit there since 2018, and met Xi Jinping. China relaxed visa rules for UK citizens. The UK had approved a large new Chinese embassy in London. Trump warned that closer ties with Beijing would be very dangerous, and Starmer rejected the warning, calling the trip historic.
On the Gaza Board of Peace, Trump named former Prime Minister Tony Blair among its advisers. The UK said it would not join and would not attend the signing ceremony. Starmer said MPs would vote on any deployment of British troops to Ukraine. Relations with Iran deteriorated: the UK summoned Iran's ambassador over killings in the country, Iran summoned Britain's envoy, and the British embassy in Tehran closed temporarily. Former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and former minister Robert Jenrick joined Reform UK, as did Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell. On 31 January new Epstein case documents named Prince Andrew, Elon Musk and Bill Gates.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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