UK PM Channels Top Gun to Tease Macron
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer lightened the mood on Monday evening, poking fun at French President Emmanuel Macron’s now-viral sunglasses moment during a live recording of comedian Matt Forde’s podcast.
Handed a pair of aviator sunglasses reminiscent of those worn by Macron during last week’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Starmer slipped them on and greeted the crowd with a playful “Bonjour!”, drawing loud laughter from the audience.
The joke continued online. A clip from the event was posted on Starmer’s official TikTok account, captioned: “Talk to me, Goose”—a nod to the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, starring Tom Cruise. Starmer joked that while he might wear the aviators at international summits, he would need his regular spectacles to get through parliamentary sessions.
Macron’s eyewear choice had already caught global attention. Former U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in during a Davos speech, asking:
“I watched him yesterday with those beautiful sunglasses. What the hell happened?”
Starmer also revealed that Trump frequently phones him directly on his personal mobile, bypassing official channels. One call arrived while Starmer was cleaning up after his children’s dinner; another interrupted a much-anticipated Arsenal–PSG match.
Turning to more serious diplomatic matters, Starmer defended his upcoming visit to China, marking the first trip to Beijing by a UK prime minister since 2018.
“If you’re a leader on the international stage, you are dealing with whoever is the leader in another country. It’s that simple,” he said.
