Starmer swipes that Trump doesn’t have a ‘viable thought-through plan’ for Iran war as Special Relationship goes into meltdown

Keir Starmer accused Donald Trump of lacking a “workable, well-thought-out plan” for the Iran war, as transatlantic tensions escalate.

The Prime Minister struck a defiant tone over his refusal to allow UK bases to be used for offensive strikes and stressed he was concerned about ‘escalation’.

As the situation became more personal, Mr Trump last night condemned the prime minister as ‘disappointing’ and ‘un-Churchill’. Sir Keir said allowing the US to use UK bases to shoot down drones was ‘a special relationship’ but ‘sticking to President Trump’s latest words is not’.

The comments come as Kemi Badenoch hammered Sir Keir at PMQs for failing to protect British personnel in the Middle East and insisted Labor was spending money on benefits rather than increasing defense spending.

Sir Keir said he wanted to ‘act with openness and purpose… The protection of UK citizens is our number one priority’.

The prime minister said when the crisis broke out on Saturday that he was ‘not willing to engage in a war unless I am satisfied that there is a legal basis and a thoroughly thought-out workable plan’. He added: ‘That remains my view.’

Mr Trump was angered by Sir Keir’s initial refusal to allow the US to use UK bases for joint strikes with Israel.

It was later partially repelled by the Prime Minister under great pressure and ‘defensive’ actions were allowed. There were warnings that the US could still use the bases and dare Britain to stop them.

Sir Keir once again tried to avoid military action in his speech to Muslims breaking the Ramadan fast last night.

Sir Keir, who has been desperately trying to shore up Labor’s left wing since the Greens’ humiliating defeat in a by-election, also voiced his determination to deliver ‘justice’ for Gaza.

The comments came after Donald Trump fueled alarm over the state of Special Relations by condemning the prime minister as “no Churchill”

Sir Keir also faces major backlash for failing to protect Britain’s base in Cyprus, which was hit by a suicide drone thought to have been fired by Tehran’s proxies late Sunday night.

Shamefully, military fish Greece will have warships guarding RAF Akrotiri days before the Royal Navy approaches the danger zone.

Emmanuel Macron ordered a French frigate to the region, a move that seemingly spurred Sir Keir into action yesterday.

The Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon is currently being sent to Cyprus along with helicopters with counter-drone capability – but it will not arrive for a few days.

Sir Keir told the House of Commons today: ‘This is an absolutely extremely serious situation and I know the whole country is concerned about escalating tensions. They are concerned about the impact this will have on their lives, especially when they see what is happening with energy.

‘The families and friends of those caught in the area will be worried about them and of course we have civilian and military personnel at risk in the area.

‘Therefore we need to act clearly, purposefully and calmly.

‘The protection of UK citizens is our number one priority. We are taking action to reduce the threat by intercepting incoming attacks by aircraft in the region, deploying more capabilities to Cyprus, and allowing US aircraft to use UK bases to eliminate Iran’s offensive capabilities.

‘What I was not prepared to do on Saturday was for the UK to join a war unless I was satisfied that there was a legal basis and a workable, considered plan. This remains my subject.’

Speaking at an iftar to mark the breaking of the Ramadan fast at Westminster Hall last night, Sir Keir said: ‘The war in the Middle East did not start last week… most importantly in Gaza, we must not lose sight of them and the need for peace, justice and security in Palestine and Israel.’

He added: ‘On Iran, I would like to make it clear that the UK is not involved in US and Israeli offensive attacks and that is the case.’

Sir Keir emphasized that he was against the Iraq war in 2003 and that Britain should ‘learn a lesson’. But he said Iran’s “indiscriminate” response had tipped the balance towards allowing the use of the bases.

“What we’re doing now is allowing our bases to be used defensively to prevent these attacks and protect innocent lives, because that’s what we need to do to support our Middle Eastern allies who are asking for our support,” he said.

Mr Trump said last night: ‘I’m not happy with Britain. The person we are dealing with is not Winston Churchill.

‘Spain was far from cooperative, and so was England. The latter is shocking, but this is not Churchill’s age.

‘The UK is very, very uncooperative with that stupid candidate’ [Chagos]. What they gave and got a 100-year lease… what’s this all about?’

His remarks will put new pressure on Sir Keir to abandon his controversial deal to hand over the Chagos Islands, a British territory in the Indian Ocean, to China’s ally Mauritius and then lease back the key military base at Diego Garcia for £35bn.

But Downing Street said: ‘Work continues on Diego Garcia and the deal; ‘We have been very clear about its value as a military asset for both the UK and the US and that position has not changed.’

No10 also claimed the US and UK remain ‘staunch allies’.

Nigel Farage has insisted Britain joining the US in its war against Iran is a different situation to the Iraq war.

Criticizing the UK’s involvement in the Iraq war with the US, the Reform UK leader said at a press conference held in central London: ‘There are times to say no to the Americans. We should have said no several times in the last 25 years.

‘Of course, since Saddam Hussein did not pose a direct threat to this country, they had to invent one.

‘In the case of Iran, I argue that since October 7 this country has fundamentally changed as a result of Iran-financed terrorism.

‘Frankly, this operation would have been worth it if it had prevented Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. I believe this very, very strongly.

‘I’m actually incredibly nervous about intervening in foreign wars, I believe that’s true.’

The comments come as Kemi Badenoch hammered Sir Keir at PMQs for failing to protect British personnel in the Middle East and insisted Labor was spending money on benefits rather than increasing defense spending.

Keir Starmer made his last attempt to withdraw from the US President’s military campaign in his speech to Muslims breaking the Ramadan fast last night.

Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon is currently being sent to Cyprus – but will not arrive for a few days – along with helicopters with counter-drone capability.

Given that America has been trying to publicly deploy its arsenal for some time, questions have been asked as to why a British ship was not deployed to the Middle East sooner.

Admiral Lord West, the former head of the Royal Navy, said ‘Nelson would be turning in his grave’ at the British response and the state of the senior service, which has almost no active ships or submarines capable of dispatching to a crisis anywhere in the world.

Shadow Armed Forces minister Mark Francois said: ‘Britannia once ‘ruled the waves’ rather than staying anchored to the harbour.

‘Given that reinforcements in the US have been going on for weeks, why are we only sending one now? Why didn’t we send one to the Mediterranean two weeks ago?

‘This is like Nelson arriving at Trafalgar a week late.’