Statesman Starmer, who would have thought?

Britain's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks during a press conference at the summit at Lancaster House on Sunday. Picture: Julian Simmonds - WPA Pool/Getty Images

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Sir Keir Starmer is treading a fine diplomatic line and, so far, succeeding. Keeping the ego of Donald Trump stoked – the allure of the royal family helps here – and bringing European allies together, the British Prime Minister has stepped up at this moment of crisis.

Sir Keir has called this dramatic reshaping of European defence, away from decades-long dependable ally the United States, a “crossroads”. And so it is proving for his own premiership.

Sir Keir could have stayed in the background to ensure British trade remains buoyant and free of punishing trans-Atlantic tariffs, but instead he has done the opposite. Not only is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed with a bear hug outside 10 Downing Street, Sir Keir is leading the European charge to prop him up.

You would like to see the King? Of course, Volodymyr.

More missiles? Sure, here’s 5000 of them.

More weaponry? Let see, we have $5bn in our back pocket here for such an emergency. Troops on the ground? Tick. You want fighter jets too? Not a problem.

Such largesse has not gone unnoticed throughout Britain, still shivering as spring begins and the economy is still tanking. Sir Keir was smart enough at Lancaster House on Sunday to reference the hip-pocket pain the country is feeling as a result of the Russian war in Ukraine as the British public battle to pay their heating bills – if they turn the heating on at all.

But Britain is at heart a generous country with deep and constant memories of the Great War and World War II and, unlike Washington, is deeply distrustful of anything Vladimir Putin might agree to. The 2018 Novichok poisonings of the Skripals, causing the death of a local woman in Salisbury, and the 2006 death of Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko, who was poisoned drinking tea at a central London hotel, are fresh reminders.

With the UK having thrown off the shackles of the European Union with Brexit, Sir Keir is now in the unique position of being a trusted ally to help the UK’s close European friends bridge the troubled waters to Mr Trump.

Burning the midnight oil in Downing Street, he has made repeated calls since the bad-tempered display in the Oval Office last Saturday (AEDT) to keep communication open between Ukraine and Washington.

He convinced France, Italy and perhaps Germany to increase defence spending, which Mr Trump will be well pleased about.

He has carefully avoided any criticism of the Trump administration, and went as far as to reject a suggestion the US was abandoning Europe.

“I do not accept that the US is an unreliable ally,” Sir Keir said firmly.

Much of Sir Keir’s plan depends on other countries agreeing to join the “coalition of the willing”, for Britain’s own defence capabilities have been run down over the decades. European Commission leader Ursula von der Leyen has promised to unshackle European rules to “turn Ukraine into a steel porcupine that is indigestible for potential invaders”.

Certainly, Sir Keir’s decision to divert some budget money originally allocated to foreign aid into defence has proven to be the only move of his eight months of leadership to be popular domestically. He is more known for being “two-tier Keir” for uneven policing policies; “free-gear Keir” for accepting donated clothes; and “Starmer the Harmer” for taking away pensioners’ heating allowances.

But his recent defence-heavy shifts have whiffs of the Reform Party and the Conservatives, and, predictably, his international development minister resigned. The plan to reduce aid from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027 may yet be further cut as the Ukraine bills continue to mount.

When asked on Sunday why he was taking such a leadership position, Sir Keir said: “The United Kingdom should step up and lead. We have done that historically as a nation, and we need to do it again.’’

Last week Sir Keir was considered incompetent by 52 per cent of people polled by YouGov, and his popularity rating was just 27 per cent. There will be no surprise if he gets an upward bounce after the past few days of statesmanship. And perhaps a new nickname.