Britain’s defence secretary has said the United States should judge the UK’s value by its actions in the Gulf rather than by Donald Trump’s social media posts. Speaking at a conference in London, John Healey said Britain’s recent efforts “spoke for themselves” and pointed to the basing permissions the UK has agreed with the US as invaluable to American military operations.
His remarks came as Prime Minister Keir Starmer returned from a trip that included talks with President Trump on keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, alongside meetings with leaders in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain. Starmer described the ceasefire announced by Trump as “fragile” and said Gulf states, as neighbours of Iran, must be involved if it is to hold.
The UK has led a call of military planners from 35 nations on ways to secure the strait, including the removal of Iranian mines. Healey stressed that the fundamentals of the relationship remain strong if attention is paid to actions rather than “the exchange of words and social media posts”.
Starmer said he had discussed with Trump a practical plan for navigation through the strait and the role the UK is playing. He also emphasised the need to avoid Iran charging levies on ships, an idea Trump had earlier mooted as a “joint venture”. Gulf leaders shared this concern, Starmer said, noting that the ceasefire is under threat from continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon and the possibility of Iranian retaliation.
Addressing tensions within Nato, Starmer acknowledged that European members should “do more” but insisted the alliance is in America’s interests. He called Nato “the single most effective military alliance the world has ever known” and said the UK would always be a strong supporter, despite reports that Washington is planning to audit members over their perceived lack of support during the conflict in Iran.
