Starmer cites Iraq war lessons as Trump praises France, slams delay in granting use of Diego Garcia air base
US President Donald Trump holds a letter from Britain’s King Charles as he meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US. PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON:
United States President Donald Trump said it was “sad to see” the relationship with Britain was “not what it was” after Prime Minister Keir Starmer initially held off giving military support to the strikes against Iran.
Trump said the likes of France had been more supportive and said he had never expected to see the once “most solid of all” relationships change in this way.
“It’s very sad to see that the relationship is obviously not what it was,” Trump told the Sun newspaper on Tuesday, his second interview to a British newspaper in as many days where he criticised the British leader.
Starmer said late on Sunday that he would allow the US to use British military bases for defensive strikes after they were not used in the initial attack on Iran.
Trump said the US did not need Britain to wage war in the Middle East but added: “It’s not going to matter, but (Starmer) should have helped… he should have.”
“I mean, France has been great. They’ve all been great. The UK has been much different from others,” he added.
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Senior British minister Darren Jones told Times Radio in response to the latest Trump comments that the US-UK relationship remained crucial but said the country had learnt lessons from its involvement in the 2003 Iraq war.
“One of the lessons of Iraq was that it’s better to be involved in these situations when you are aligned with international partners, and as I say, with a clear legal basis in the plan,” he said.
Starmer said in parliament on Monday that “President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial strikes, but it is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest. That is what I have done, and I stand by it.”
In his address to parliament, Starmer said he was moved to allow the “limited” use of British military bases by the US on Sunday after Britons came under attack by “reckless” Iranian drone and missile strikes but he stood by his decision not to join “offensive strikes” on Iran that were launched on Saturday.
Buffered by opposing views in Britain, Starmer has had to navigate calls from the left to condemn the US and Israeli action, while on the right, populist Reform UK leader Nigel Farage criticised him for not giving them his backing.
“We were not involved in the initial strikes against Iran, and we will not join offensive action now. But in the face of Iran’s barrage of missiles and drones, we will protect our people in the region,” Starmer told a silent parliament.
Starmer warns of ‘mistakes of Iraq’
Earlier, Trump told the Daily Telegraph he believed Britain had taken too long to let Washington use its bases in operations against Iran.
In an interview published on Monday Trump said Starmer appeared to be “worried about the legality” of the strikes. “That’s probably never happened between our countries before,” Trump said of the disagreement, adding Starmer’s shift in stance took “far too much time”.
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A former human rights lawyer, Starmer has long promoted his “iron-clad” commitment to international law. In parliament, he said he did not want to repeat mistakes made over the invasion of Iraq in 2003, when Britain joined US action to remove Saddam Hussein that was justified on false claims that the country had weapons of mass destruction.
“We all remember the mistakes of Iraq, and we have learned those lessons. Any UK actions must always have a lawful basis, and a viable, thought through plan,” Starmer said. “This government does not believe in regime change from the skies.”
Britain will defend Britons, allies in the region
The US and Israel launched air strikes against Iran on Saturday that killed its Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Trump said Starmer should have approved from the get-go the American use of Diego Garcia, the strategically important air base.
Late on Sunday, Starmer said he accepted a US request for their use in any “defensive” strikes against Iranian targets.
He said this was essential to defend the 300,000 Britons who are in the region, where Iran has struck hotels and airports with missiles and drones in Gulf countries hosting US bases.
But he was immediately accused by opposition parties for performing his latest U-turn in a premiership peppered with them on policy, and what Farage called a “frankly pathetic” immediate response to the Iran strikes – accusations Starmer denied.
“It is very clear that the death of the Supreme Leader will not stop Iran from launching these strikes,” Starmer said. “In fact, their approach is becoming even more reckless and more dangerous to civilians.”
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On Sunday, an Iranian-made drone hit Britain’s RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus, causing limited damage and no casualties.
Trump said it was “useful” that the US would now be able to launch operations from Diego Garcia but said he was “very disappointed in Keir” for a deal Starmer made on the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands where it is based.
Trump has changed position on the Chagos deal, which Britain says secures the future of the base from future legal challenges while transferring sovereignty of the archipelago to Mauritius.
Starmer’s spokesperson said bilateral relations with the US and Trump remained strong. “The UK and US are staunch allies, as we have been for many decades,” the spokesperson told reporters.
