The announcement has sparked major backlash.

𝘒𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳 has been issued a warning on GB News after it was reported he pushed for European human rights laws to be deployed in probing British troops in Iraq.

GB News presenters Eamonn Holmes and Nana Akua announced the news with viewers on Thursday (January 29), explaining the front page of The Telegraph claimed Starmer used the European Court of Human Rights to investigate British troops.

Adding that the Prime Minister used the international court to investigate troops in Iraq, Nana branded the act “totally out of order”.

The duo were joined by Katherine Forster, who began by pointing out how comfortable the Prime Minister appears to be on an international stage, but questioned his comments about always working in Britain’s national interests.

Sharing further details on the report, she said: “This is all about a chapter that he wrote back in 2008, when he was a human rights lawyer, in a book that was put together by a now-disgraced lawyer Phil Shiner.

“The argument that he put forward in this chapter was how effective the ECHR was in being able to bring prosecutions against troops who may have behaved wrongfully in operations overseas.”

Katherine highlighted that Sir Keir’s allies have claimed it was simply “laying out an analysis”, but recognised this another “damaging headline” that has come at a difficult time for the Prime Minister.

The political correspondent continued: “His popularity is on the floor. He’s just seen off an immediate threat to his position from Andy Burnham, who is blocked from standing in that by-election.”

With Labour MPs said to be “so unhappy” with the Prime Minister, many are now looking towards the general election in the hope that change is on the horizon, fearing they could otherwise be “out of a job”.

Nana acknowledged how damaging it is for Sir Keir to be associated with Shiner, who plead guilty to three counts of fraud relating to legal aid claims made in 2007. He was also barred from practising as a solicitor following bogus abuse allegations he made against British soldiers.

The accusations against them were completely false and Shiner illegally pocketed millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money pursuing them.

“This is not going to go away. He must have known some of this was coming out,” Nana said, suggesting the Prime Minister’s meeting with China’s Xi Jinping came at a convenient time.

Katherine responded: “I think the Prime Minister always enjoys being on these international trips. He’s in his element on these trips.”

Despite branding him as a “pleasant” man, Katherine emphasised his widespread unpopularity across the UK.

She added: “His background as a human rights lawyer, he represented all sorts of very unpleasant people. He would argue that was his job, he didn’t get to pick and choose. But it’s definitely coming back to bite him.”

Nana fumed: “Well he didn’t have to do the book and that’s something he can explain. I think that’s shocking.”