Keir Starmer's relationship with Donald Trump has soured after the prime minister refused to support the US-Israeli attack on Iran, according to analysts. The Labour leader initially appeared to have struck an unlikely rapport with the US president, helped by a state visit invitation from King Charles. However, goodwill evaporated when the UK was not informed in advance of the February strike that killed Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
Trump complained about Starmer's initial refusal to allow the use of RAF bases for bombing Iran, saying: 'This is not Winston Churchill that we're dealing with.' Starmer later permitted attacks on Iranian missile launch sites from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, but stayed out of the broader conflict. He told MPs: 'It is my duty to judge what is in Britain's national interest.'
The Iran war, which lasted 38 days and caused oil prices to soar, was 'almost certainly illegal' according to experts. Sir Peter Westmacott, a former UK ambassador to the US, said foreign policy had been 'an area of relative strength' for Starmer, but Trump's failure to consult allies left him 'little choice but to stand aside'. The decision was popular with a British public alarmed by Trump's behaviour, though it did not help Labour's poll ratings.
Relations were eventually smoothed over by approving the king's visit to Washington, but the dispute has highlighted the fragility of the UK-US alliance under Trump. Longer-term questions about Britain's security remain unresolved, with the US less willing to play a decisive role in European defence.
