The clip was posted on the PM’s TikTok feed with a message to Macron saying: “Talk to me, Goose” — a reference to the 1986 Tom Cruise film “Top Gun.”
@keirstarmer @Emmanuel Macron ♬ original sound – Keir Starmer
Starmer told Forde that while he will consider wearing the specs to international summits, he will need his normal glasses back to be able to see in parliament.
It’s not the first time Macron’s shades have raised eyebrows. “I watched him yesterday with those beautiful sunglasses. What the hell happened?” Donald Trump remarked during a speech at Davos.
Starmer also disclosed that Trump regularly rings him on his mobile phone, rather than using official government communications.
“Once I was in the flat with the kids cleaning pasta off the table after their dinner, and the phone goes and it’s Donald on the phone,” Starmer said.
“Another time, I’d say most inconvenient, we’re halfway through the Arsenal-PSG game,” he added, referencing his love of the top-flight soccer team.
In a more serious moment, Starmer defended his decision to travel to China this week, in the first trip to the country by a British prime minister since 2018.
“If you’re a leader on the international stage, you are dealing with whoever is the leader in another country. I mean, it’s that simple,” he said.