Keir Starmer has passed the Donald Trump test, what matters now is what happens at home

This attitude has also informed his decisions, with the Labour leader confident he can keep MPs on side in the face of difficult circumstances. Two child benefit cap? As you were chief. Winter fuel? Barely a rebellion. Waspi women? Who? His authority has been total, a point seen again this week as he gutted foreign aid to boost defence spending.

Let’s be clear, defence spending had to go up, not just for our sake, but for Europe, for Nato, and most of all for Ukraine. Increasing investment was inevitable. But Downing Street has done so by gutting foreign aid, something that will undoubtedly lead to people dying who otherwise would not have. This isn’t hyperbole, it’s the view of numerous charities, many of his own MPs, and indeed his minister responsible for it, Anneliese Dodds, at least until she resigned. It’s a tough decision, and one he didn’t want to make, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have consequences. Support for Gaza, Sudan and even Ukraine, these are not just military decisions, they rely on our aid. The same goes for countries in Africa, and the Balkans.

In another era, this decision would have led to widespread resignations and condemnation. Labour MPs were certainly annoyed when Boris Johnson did it, remember him? The difference is this time, that weighing one thing against another is the vibe of Starmer’s premiership. There’s a financial black hole, we can’t subsidise pensioners' heating. We need to invest in GB Energy, we don’t have money to end the two-child cap. That’s not to say it’s his fault, but it remains the narrative of his premiership. To do this, we can’t do that.

So far, despite some troubling polls in Scotland, it appears to be working. On Trump, Starmer played a blinder, even if much of the hard work was undone by the ugly scenes between Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky 24 hours later. The US president could not get enough of the Labour leader in Washington, praising his company, his work rate, and even his accent. For Starmer, it seemed easy, but it wasn’t. It took boosting defence spend, leaving Europe, and the former head of the CPS, a man used to the very highest level of debate, reducing himself to giving out a state visit like a birthday invite.

Politically, the trip was a success, securing vague hints at a trade deal, a suggestion that tariffs can be avoided, and even a rowing back on Trump’s claim that Zelensky is a "dictator". There was even support for the Chagos island deal. In short, the only people angry at the result of the meeting were the Tories, with Kemi Badenoch’s spokesperson genuinely urging the US, a foreign power, to block the Chagos deal. Now that’s patriotism.

It’s proficient diplomacy by Starmer, but he must now show he can mitigate the impact of the cuts.

He’s made the tough decisions. He’s sold them to parliament, Europe and the US. Now it’s time to make people feel those benefits, or risk finding the limit of his MPs' tolerance for abandoning progress policies.