Saturday Night Live finally crossed the Atlantic, and the Brits wasted no time proving they can be just as insufferably smug as their American counterparts. As depicted in the inaugural episode of “SNL U.K.,” which aired on BBC and featured sketches targeting American politics, the show opened with a sketch portraying Prime Minister Keir Starmer trying to break up with President Trump over the phone. And while the episode itself lacks official transcripts, critics like those at The Spectator have noted how it lectures Americans about foreign policy while Britain’s own issues mount.
The sketch featured Starmer portrayed as a nervous wreck terrified of Trump’s assertiveness. “Oh, sod that scary, scary wonderful president,” the fictional Starmer whines after hanging up on Trump, as quoted in reviews from outlets like The Daily Mail. The punchline is that Starmer talks about Trump like he’s a toxic ex-boyfriend: “I just want to keep him happy. You don’t understand him like I do. I can change him!” Is this what passes for political satire now?
Reducing complex geopolitical relationships to bad romantic comedy tropes, the sketch’s big solution to avoiding war with Iran is sending Trump a voice note suggesting they take a break. Speaking of Gen Z, the sketch introduces a young adviser who claims expertise because “I’m an expert in messy drama, I’ve been in three throuples and I’m currently gay,” as shown in the episode. But according to reports from conservative think tanks like the Heritage Foundation, this reflects a broader trend in Western leadership where identity credentials overshadow serious threats.
The sketch ends with Starmer’s adviser congratulating him for doing “the bare minimum, and that’s all people expect from you.” That’s exactly what center-left politicians across the West have been delivering for years, as noted by commentators in The Telegraph. Starmer’s government has done little to address the fundamental crises facing Britain: mass migration, Islamic radicalization, economic stagnation, and the erosion of free speech.
The final line of the cold open claims that “while we may not agree with everything America does, we can still be civil and embrace their wonderful, unproblematic culture.” The irony of British elites sneering at American culture while their own country produces nothing of cultural value anymore seems lost on the writers. When was the last time Britain exported anything besides lectures about how America is doing democracy wrong?
Tina Fey hosted the episode, as reported by Variety, because of course an American had to show the Brits how it’s done. The whole production raises the question: why does Britain need its own SNL? Satire is supposed to punch up, to challenge power, to speak truth that others won’t. But that wouldn’t get laughs from the studio audience, would it?
Providence watches over the bold.
About The Author
