A former senior Nato commander has defended Sir Keir Starmer after Donald Trump mocked him as “not Winston Churchill”, saying Britain must avoid being drawn into a war “without a clear end point”. General Sir Richard Shirreff, who served as Nato’s deputy supreme allied commander in Europe, said the US president had launched a “war of choice” over Iran with no obvious exit strategy.
Mr Trump launched a personal attack on the Prime Minister after Sir Keir initially refused to allow American forces to use British bases for the first wave of strikes against Iranian missile facilities, though he later agreed to the use of Diego Garcia. “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with,” the US president told reporters at the White House.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Shirreff said: “Britain has to do what is right for Britain. There is absolutely a case for getting involved but it should not get involved in any shape or form with an operation where the end stage has not been made clear.” He recalled the 2004 Iraq conflict, warning: “We have been here before… and we don’t want to be going back again into a situation like that.”
James Murray, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, insisted the Prime Minister had acted “with a cool head” and in the national interest. But the shadow chancellor, Mel Stride, told Fox News that Mr Trump’s remarks showed the relationship was under strain, saying: “In a very uncertain and dangerous world allies matter, and no ally matters more to our country than the United States.”
Meanwhile, HMS Dragon, a Type 45 destroyer, is being sent to the region after suspected Iranian drones struck RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, causing minimal damage. Two further drones were intercepted on Monday, and there was another alert on Wednesday. The Government rejected claims of delay, saying the ship and Wildcat helicopters would arrive “as soon as possible”.
