Donald Trump is again threatening tariffs, the European Union is increasingly focused on protecting its own market and global trade is becoming less predictable.
Moreover, a breakdown of trust between civil servants and the government's political leadership is increasing Starmer's isolation at a time when he is also facing a number of other serious challenges.
It has become a habit. When things do not go his way on foreign policy, Donald Trump turns on NATO, lashes out at allied leaders and often singles out Emmanuel Macron.