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President Donald Trump took aim at the United Kingdom on Saturday, describing it as a “once great ally.” His comments reflect ongoing dissatisfaction with the left-leaning Labour government in London, particularly regarding its initial reluctance to allow U.S. access to its military bases for operations in Iran.
The decision by Prime Minister Starmer’s administration has strained the historically close “special relationship” between the UK and the US. Meanwhile, France has gained attention for its rapid military response. In light of this, reports on Saturday suggested that the UK is planning to send the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales to the Middle East as a demonstration of military strength.
Despite these developments, President Trump remains unimpressed. He openly criticized Prime Minister Starmer’s delayed response to the conflict, noting the UK’s prior refusal to permit the use of its bases for U.S. operations in Iran.
“The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, perhaps the greatest of them all, is finally considering sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East. That’s fine, Prime Minister Starmer, but we don’t need them anymore — though we will remember,” Trump commented on Truth Social.
He further remarked, “We don’t need allies who join wars after we’ve already secured victory!”
Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss agreed with Trump’s assessment, calling his comments “justified and damning.”
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”.