It takes quite a lot to make people like me swing behind Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, given his record, but President Trump may have managed it. By publicly rebuking the PM – “this is not Winston Churchill we’re dealing with” – and declaring that he is “not happy” with the UK, he gives rise to the subversive thought that on this, Sir Keir may not be all wrong. The gibe about Winston Churchill, in fact, invites the obvious riposte: “and you, Mr Trump, are no Franklin D Roosevelt”.
The reason for siding with Sir Keir on this one should be plain. If the strikes against Iran had been specifically directed to supporting the democratic opponents of the regime – if only they had taken place in January, when thousands of young people were being shot for taking part in demonstrations, including in ambulances, by the Revolutionary Guard – there would be a powerful case for supporting them. In fact, I’d have been cheering the strikes on. The bloody suppression of January’s uprising – remember the pictures of all those brave young people? - is conclusive proof that the late Ayatollah’s regime is ripe for toppling. And who knows? It may be that the removal of the current leadership may be the opportunity the rebels have been waiting for. If the democratic opposition does seize the moment, then this war may yet be justified by results.
