Keir Starmer has been warned that his relationship with Donald Trump cannot be repaired after the US President ridiculed the Prime Minister for consulting his team about military decisions.
In a new low for UK-US relations, Trump appeared to imitate Starmer in a weak voice during an Easter lunch speech at the White House, saying the UK was “not our best ally”.
The episode is Trump’s latest broadside against Starmer and Britain’s “old” aircraft carriers, days after the prime minister refused to let the US use British military bases for its initial strikes on Iran.
Following the latest attack on Starmer, diplomats and political figures said he was right to reject the criticism, but also said relations had been deeply damaged and he would need to redouble efforts to build international ties elsewhere.
The US President said Britain should be “our best ally” but was not during the Iran war, accusing Starmer of being intransigent on the issue of sending aircraft carriers.
During his speech, the President said: “I asked Britain, who should be our best man. In fact the King is coming here in two weeks, he’s a good man, King Charles.”
“But they should have been our best but they weren’t our best. I said: ‘You’ve got two old broken-down aircraft carriers, do you think you could send them?’
“‘Oh, I’ll have to ask my team.’
“I said: ‘You’re the Prime Minister, you don’t have to do that.’
“‘No, no, no, I have to ask my team. My team has to meet, we’re meeting next week.’
“But the war has already started. Next week the war will end…in three days.”
However, Downing Street sources said Trump had never asked Britain for the ships and Britain had not offered them. In a previous criticism of Starmer two weeks ago, Trump said Starmer had asked to consult his team about sending minesweepers – not aircraft carriers.
A senior diplomat said Starmer was right to “essentially ignore” Trump and that he should now try to build relationships with Canada, Australia and mainland Europe because it was difficult to see how relations could recover.
Another former diplomat said the king’s visit and potentially Prince William and Kate’s upcoming US visit could offer a way to improve Britain’s relations with Trump, but Starmer was taking the right approach by not bowing to the president’s demands.
A government adviser on foreign affairs said Starmer would always do what was in Britain’s best interests, even if it meant smoothing things over with Trump, but the “unpredictable, irregular” nature of the president’s insults towards Britain raised questions about whether trying to build closer personal ties was the best course of action.
Labor ministers and MPs have reassured Starmer that they strongly support her approach of remaining calm in the face of Trump’s anger and insults – with some believing her handling of the war and the US presidency strengthens her case for remaining leader, regardless of the outcome in local elections next month.
Emily Thornberry, Labor MP and chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said she was pleased we have a leader in Britain who works with a team and listens to experts.
“Making decisions about foreign policy, let alone war, without listening to others creates problems, such as being surprised when the Iranians closed the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.
Kim Darroch, a former national security adviser and former British ambassador to the US, said Starmer was “right to oppose direct involvement in this ‘war of choice'”.
“But it has undoubtedly caused considerable damage to his personal relationship with Trump,” he said. “It could certainly be over. But it is equally possible that a damaged Trump, whether against NATO, or against selected Europeans, including the UK, might strike out, perhaps with new or higher tariffs – a risk that outweighs the immediate priority of rebuilding our relationship with the EU single market.”
Trump’s attacks on the UK and Starmer have caused problems for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK and the Conservatives, who were initially supportive of the US bombing of Iran but have now reduced their support.
Reform UK MP and economic chief Robert Jenrick told LBC that relations between the Prime Minister and the US President have “clearly suffered a major blow – perhaps irreparably”. But he said he was in no way defending Trump “or the way he conducts himself – far from it”.
Jenrick said: “I don’t like to see foreign leaders criticizing the UK leader, regardless of party. You want our Prime Minister to be someone who is respected on the world stage and who is treated with respect by our key allies.”
Trump’s comments were made at a luncheon that was not open to the press but were released by the White House on a social media channel — and later removed. However, the comments were downloaded and republished by a politics reporter from the American website Business Insider.
During the lunch, Trump also mocked Emmanuel Macron, saying the French president is “still recovering from the jaw” and claiming that Macron’s wife, Brigitte, “treats him very badly”.
Trump has repeatedly attacked Britain over its refusal to authorize the use of military bases for initial strikes on Iran, as well as its move to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Starmer has not retaliated, but has said he will stick to his position on the war, no matter the pressure and noise.
Asked by Parliament’s Liaison Committee about “quite rude” comments made by Trump, the Prime Minister said: “I am completely focused on what is in the best interests of our country and I am unapologetic about that. Despite pressure coming from elsewhere, I will remain focused on what is in the British national interest.”
“And whatever has been said or done has undoubtedly been said and done to put pressure on me, I have no doubt about that. I understand what’s going on. But I’m not going to waver on it.”
He added, “I am the British Prime Minister and my job is to focus entirely on what is in the British national interest. This has served me well in recent weeks and is the principle I will continue to follow as we move to make difficult decisions.”
