Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has insisted the UK will not “outsource” its foreign policy, following criticism from US President Donald Trump over Britain’s stance on Iran. Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Cooper said it was the UK Government’s job to decide what is in the national interest, not simply to agree with other countries.
Cooper also rejected a rebuke from former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair, who said the UK should have backed the US from the start. She stressed the importance of learning lessons from the Iraq war, adding that unquestioningly agreeing with the US is not in Britain’s interest.
The row began after Sir Keir Starmer initially refused to grant permission for the first wave of US strikes on Iran from British bases, prompting Trump to call the Prime Minister “not Winston Churchill”. Starmer later allowed “defensive” US action from RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia.
Cooper defended Starmer’s approach, saying he focuses on “calm, steady decision-making” rather than “rhetoric or hyperbole”. The Ministry of Defence has increased preparedness of HMS Prince of Wales and sent a Merlin helicopter for surveillance, while HMS Dragon is expected to sail to the eastern Mediterranean.
