Keir Starmer has shrugged off Donald Trump’s criticism that he is “no Winston Churchill”, as the prime minister defended his cautious approach to supporting US military action against Iran. During Prime Minister’s Questions, Starmer insisted that allowing American planes to operate from British bases and sharing intelligence daily constituted the “special relationship in action”, not “hanging on to President Trump’s latest words”.
Trump told the Daily Telegraph that Starmer “took far too long” to permit use of UK airbases, and later described the prime minister as “not helpful” in an interview with the Sun. He then dismissed Starmer as no Churchill. Downing Street, however, appears confident that the public backs Starmer’s stance, with YouGov polling showing strong opposition to the overall US operation in Iran and slight opposition even to allowing US aircraft to use British bases.
Number 10 is also relying on Trump’s well-known volatility, noting that the US president’s opinions shift frequently and that other world leaders have learned to ignore much of what he says unless backed by action. Starmer himself has previously received praise from Trump, including for his “beautiful” accent, which the prime minister treated with polite bemusement.
Despite the criticism, Starmer has maintained a diplomatic balancing act, buttering up Trump with a letter from King Charles proposing an unprecedented second state visit. However, he has also drawn red lines, condemning Trump’s inaccurate criticisms of London mayor Sadiq Khan and rebuking the president for claiming British soldiers avoided the frontline in Afghanistan. The approach, while unorthodox, reflects the reality that no US ally has found a way to keep Trump consistently onside.
