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President Donald Trump did not hold back his criticism of Britain, labeling it a “once great ally” on Saturday. His displeasure was directed at the left-wing Labour government in London, particularly over their initial reluctance to allow the United States to use British bases amid the conflict in Iran.
This tension has put a strain on the “special relationship” between the U.K. and the U.S. The situation was further complicated when France managed to swiftly deploy its military forces, leaving Prime Minister Starmer’s government lagging behind. In what appears to be an effort to regain ground, reports on Saturday suggested that Britain is contemplating sending the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales to the Middle East.
Despite these moves, President Trump remains unimpressed. He openly mocked Prime Minister Starmer for his delayed reaction to the conflict, especially after initially denying the U.S. permission to use UK bases for operations in Iran.
Trump took to Truth Social, stating, “The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East. That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer — But we will remember.”
He added, “We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!”
Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss agreed with Trump’s assessment, calling his comments “justified and damning.”
Although Starmer later reversed his initial stance, agreeing to allow U.S. access to British military bases for “defensive” purposes, this concession has done little to mend his relationship with President Trump.
While Starmer later backtracked on his initial opposition to granting the U.S. access to British military bases — although still limited to “defensive” actions — it has done little to repair his relationship with the American leader.
Earlier this week, speaking to London’s Daily Telegraph, President Trump said that he was “very disappointed” with Starmer over the move, which he noted may have been the first time in the history of UK-U.S. relations that a prime minister refused a military request from Washington.
Trump noted that Starmer — a former human rights lawyer — made the decision because he was “worried about the legality.”
The President suggested that the niceties of international law should not outweigh the duty to British citizens, many of whom have been “blown up” by terrorists backed by Iran.
President Trump further mocked Starmer during an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, saying of the UK leader: “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with”.
Although Starmer had initially attempted to break with his left-wing party and cosy up to the Trump administration, ties took a turn for the worse over the move by Starmer to cede control of the strategically significant Chagos Islands to the China-aligned East African nation of Mauritius, following a ruling from the International Court of Justice at the United Nations.
Trump has described the move, which throws into question the fate of the UK-U.S. military base on the island of Diego Garcia, as a “blight” on the reputation of Britain, and accused Starmer of bowing to “wokeism”.
