British Prime Minister Keir Starmer takes a swipe at Trump’s criticism of the Iran war
In Britain, Starmer must also show his voters’ dislike for the American-Israeli attack on Iran, (59% against 25%, according to YouGov), and their long-term dislike for Trump himself, whose approval rating in the United Kingdom is currently below 65.
The British prime minister is least popular with Britons, with his approval rating at minus 48 one of the worst since YouGov began tracking this metric in the 1970s.
As a prominent human rights lawyer and public prosecutor, Starmer could not outrun Trump’s style and substance. Nevertheless, he made a shameless attempt to woo Trump during his visit to Washington in February last year, even producing the flourish of a state visit invitation signed by King Charles III.
Some Britons criticized what they saw as a show of Starmer speaking openly to Trump’s ambitions.
“Starmer’s approach to Trump followed a standard script in British politics: flattery, acquiescence, and a kind of brainwashing,” said James Schneider, who was Labor’s communications director under Starmer’s predecessor Jeremy Corbyn.
But for Starmer’s team the priority has been building those relationships, a former adviser said, at a time when some leaders’ outspokenness may have pushed them out.
Britain often touts the importance of its “special relationship” with Washington and, in return, American leaders say there is no better relationship than that with London.
No country trades more with Britain than the US, and London has come to rely heavily on American intelligence, and technological know-how for its nuclear weapons program.
It’s not all one way, though.
The US often needs military bases in Britain and across Europe to launch rooties over the Middle East. And this is what has angered Trump.
Starmer was reluctant to give permission for US bombers to launch defensive strikes against Iran from UK bases, expressing concern that any strikes should have a “legitimate basis” – similar to the lingering regrets of many in Britain over its support for the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Starmer finally allowed them to help secure the Strait of Hormuz amid a global oil and supply chain crisis.
That situation was tested over the weekend when Iran fired missiles at the British and US military base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Even before attacking Iran, Trump had criticized Britain for its agreement to return the Chagos Archipelago, where the base is located, to Mauritius.
Trump blasted Starmer as “no Winston Churchill” while saying he was “not happy” with the man he called a friend last year. For the British people, the biggest outrage came this weekend, when Trump shared a skit on “Saturday Night Live UK”.
A spokesman for Number 10 Downing St. declined to comment on the president’s speech. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Britain’s criticism of Trump’s behavior.
The prime minister has cast himself as Britain’s anti-war figure despite arguments from his transatlantic partner.
“I’m very focused on what’s in the best interest of our country and I have no regrets about that,” he told a parliamentary committee on Monday when asked about Trump’s “disrespectful” behavior. “Regardless of pressure from elsewhere, I will continue to focus on what is in the best interest of the British nation.”
