Defence Secretary John Healey has defended the UK's response to the Middle East conflict after repeated attacks from US President Donald Trump. Mr Healey insisted the UK should be judged on its actions rather than Mr Trump's social media posts, acknowledging the president's anger over the UK's refusal to grant free rein for strikes against Iran from British bases.
Sir Keir Starmer denied Mr Trump permission to launch offensive military strikes from British bases, but later allowed limited action against Iran's missile sites and targets threatening shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Mr Trump has since mocked the Prime Minister on Truth Social, calling him 'no Winston Churchill'.
Speaking at the London Defence Conference, Mr Healey said: 'In the end I’d rather our actions spoke for themselves. The basing permissions we have agreed with the US have been invaluable to their military operations.' He also highlighted that British personnel in northern Iraq had been downing drones fired by Tehran, protecting US forces.
Mr Healey acknowledged Mr Trump's fury but stressed the fundamentals of the US-UK relationship remain strong, with America committed to Nato. He added that the UK must do more on the European side, but deep shared values will see both nations through political cycles.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer hit back, telling ITV's Talking Politics Podcast: 'I’m fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down on energy because of the actions of Putin or Trump.' Downing Street confirmed the Prime Minister spoke to President Trump from Qatar, discussing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and a plan to resume shipping.
