Trump says ‘special relationship is obviously not what it was’ after Starmer’s refusal to back Iran strikes – UK politics live | Keir Starmer
Trump says he is ‘very sorry’ that UK-US relations ‘are not what they used to be’
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics.
US president Donald Trump said it was “very sad” to see UK-US relations “not what they used to be” after criticizing Keir Starmer for taking “too long” to allow US forces to use air bases to attack Iran.
One Telephone interview with The Sun’s political editor Harry ColeTrump said:
It’s actually a different world. This is a very different kind of relationship with your country than we had before.
It’s very sad to see that the relationship is clearly not what it used to be.
Speaking to The Sun from the White House on Monday evening, Trump compared Starmer’s actions unfavorably with France’s support for the attacks and that of NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte. “It didn’t help at all. I never thought I’d see this. I never thought I’d see this from the UK. We love the UK,” he said.
In a significant and rare break from Washington on foreign policy, Starmer said on Monday that the UK did not believe in “regime change from heaven” and defended his decision not to allow the use of UK bases for the first wave of attacks.
But the prime minister said the situation had changed on Sunday as Iran’s “outrageous” response became a threat to the British public and British allies.
He has now agreed to a US request to use British military bases for “defensive” strikes against Iran’s missile sites.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the government of being “too afraid” to take a stronger stance against Iran, arguing that some Labor voters were “influenced by conflicts in the Middle East, not British national interests”.
As the conflict spirals across the region, with the Israeli army launching new attacks on Tehran and Beirut, today we will focus mainly on the UK’s political response to the rapid developments in the Israel-US war against Iran.
You can follow our live business blog to follow the market reaction as the war drives up oil and gas prices after Iran expands retaliatory strikes against American targets in the Gulf region.
important events
Jessica Elgot
Keir Starmer has previously been frequently praised for his ability to maintain relations with the volatile US president, but in the House of Commons on Monday the prime minister expressed doubts about US action in Tehran and its sanctions. legality.
“We all remember Iraq’s mistakesAnd we learned these lessons. “Any action by the UK must always have a legal basis and a well-thought-out plan,” he said. “This is the principle I applied to the decisions I made over the weekend.”
Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, Starmer said Britain deployed aircraft and allowed bases to be used for defense purposes because Iran launched an attack on Britain’s allies in the region in retaliation.
He said the RAF had foiled an Iranian drone attack heading towards a coalition base in Iraq where UK forces were based. Two unmanned aerial vehicles also opened fire on the British base in Cyprus. RAF AkrotiriStarmer said it was initiated before Sunday night’s announcement about the US’s use of UK bases.
UK expected to allow US use RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and Diego Garcia Bombing Iran’s “missile cities” in the Chagos Islands, places where Iran’s most dangerous weapons, high-speed ballistic missiles, are stored and can be launched from there.
Read more from Jessica Elgot, the Guardian’s deputy political editor, here:
Trump says he is ‘very sorry’ that UK-US relations ‘are not what they used to be’
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics.
US president Donald Trump said it was “very sad” to see UK-US relations “not what they used to be” after criticizing Keir Starmer for taking “too long” to allow US forces to use air bases to attack Iran.
One Telephone interview with The Sun’s political editor Harry ColeTrump said:
It’s actually a different world. This is a very different kind of relationship with your country than we had before.
It’s very sad to see that the relationship is clearly not what it used to be.
Speaking to The Sun from the White House on Monday evening, Trump compared Starmer’s actions unfavorably with France’s support for the attacks and that of NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte. “It didn’t help at all. I never thought I’d see this. I never thought I’d see this from the UK. We love the UK,” he said.
In a significant and rare break from Washington on foreign policy, Starmer said on Monday that the UK did not believe in “regime change from heaven” and defended his decision not to allow the use of UK bases for the first wave of attacks.
But the prime minister said the situation had changed on Sunday as Iran’s “outrageous” response became a threat to the British public and British allies.
He has now agreed to a US request to use British military bases for “defensive” strikes against Iran’s missile sites.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the government of being “too afraid” to take a stronger stance against Iran, arguing that some Labor voters were “influenced by conflicts in the Middle East, not British national interests”.
As the conflict spirals across the region, with the Israeli army launching new attacks on Tehran and Beirut, today we will focus mainly on the UK’s political response to the rapid developments in the Israel-US war against Iran.
You can follow our live business blog to follow the market reaction as the war drives up oil and gas prices after Iran expands retaliatory strikes against American targets in the Gulf region.
