Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has issued a stinging rebuke to US President Donald Trump over his “insulting and frankly appalling” remarks about British and Nato troops in Afghanistan. Starmer suggested Trump should apologise for claiming that allied forces avoided the frontlines during the conflict.
Speaking on Friday, Starmer paid tribute to the 457 British service personnel who died in Afghanistan, saying he would never forget their courage and sacrifice. He said Trump’s comments had caused hurt to the loved ones of those killed or injured, and that if he had misspoken in such a way, he would certainly apologise.
The prime minister’s intervention marks an escalation in tensions with the White House, which had already been strained this week after Trump criticised the UK’s decision to give up the Chagos Islands. Labour sources insisted a delay in the Chagos Islands bill was due to Tory obstruction, but it followed Trump calling the move “a great act of stupidity”.
Trump’s suggestion, made in a Fox News interview, that Nato troops “stayed a little back, a little off the frontlines” prompted widespread condemnation. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Trump of “denigrating” British troops, while Reform UK’s Nigel Farage said the president was “wrong”. The Liberal Democrats urged Starmer to summon the US ambassador.
Defence Secretary John Healey said the UK and allies had answered the US call, and the war dead should be remembered as heroes. A total of 3,486 Nato troops died in the 20-year Afghanistan conflict, including 457 British personnel.
