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Mathew Hulbert

Mathew on Monday: when Britain needed Love Actually, It Got Mr Bean

By Mathew Hulbert | Mon 19th January 2026 - 9:24 pm

There are moments in politics when symbolism matters as much as substance, when tone, posture and moral clarity speak louder than any communique or briefing note.

This morning should have been one of those moments. Following Donald Trump’s latest intervention over Greenland – part territorial fantasy, part geopolitical bullying – Britain was presented with a rare opportunity. A chance for a UK Prime Minister to look a reckless American President in the eye and say: no. Calmly. Firmly. Clearly. In defence of international law, allied sovereignty, and basic democratic norms.

What many of us hoped do was a Love Actually moment: Hugh Grant’s fictional Prime Minister, politely but unmistakably calling out American overreach and reminding the world that friendship does not require submission. What we got instead was Mr Bean.

Keir Starmer’s emergency press conference this morning was not incompetent. It was not chaotic. It was not aggressive. It was, in fact, something far worse: timid, earnest, managerial, lawyerly – and utterly devoid of the moral authority the moment demanded.

Yes, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of diplomacy. Yes, he reaffirmed that Greenland’s future lies with its people and Denmark. Yes, he warned that trade wars harm working people. All of that is true. All of it is safe. All of it could have been said in a written statement.

What was missing was leadership.

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