Donald Trump has seemingly likened Sir Keir Starmer to Neville Chamberlain, escalating their ongoing disagreement over the Iran war.
At a White House Easter event on Monday, discussing the Iran conflict, the US president told reporters the UK had “a long way to go”.
While his specific reference was unclear, he stated: “We won’t want another Neville Chamberlain, do we agree? We don’t want Neville Chamberlain”.
Mr Trump’s invocation of the 1930s’ prime minister, known for 'appeasement' towards Nazi Germany, signals further transatlantic strain.
The president has repeatedly criticised Sir Keir for refusing UK involvement in offensive operations against Iran. This occurs as the King prepares for a state visit marking 250 years since US independence, despite calls to cancel the trip.
Sir Keir has said he will not “buckle under pressure” or allow the UK to get “dragged into the war”, which has now entered its sixth week.
During Monday’s event, Mr Trump repeated his threat to bomb Iran’s civilian infrastructure if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
He also claimed to have already achieved “regime change” by killing Iran’s previous leaders, including the former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
He said: “The people we are negotiating with now on behalf of Iran are much more reasonable.”
But some experts have claimed that removing the previous ayatollah has seen a more hardline group take charge in Tehran.
Meanwhile, the UK Government has said it will not take part in offensive operations against Iran after Mr Trump’s threat to attack power plants and bridges.
The president made his threat in an expletive-laden social media post on Sunday, setting a deadline of 8pm US time on Tuesday (1am on Wednesday UK time) for Iran to open the strait.
Mr Trump’s message sparked accusations that the president was threatening to commit war crimes.
Asked about his comments on Monday, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said it was up to Mr Trump to explain his choice of words and his approach to the conflict.
She said: “It is not language or an approach that this Government would be taking.”
Ms Phillipson added: “Our approach as a UK Government, the approach that the Prime Minister Keir Starmer has set out, is that we are not getting involved in offensive action, we won’t be getting involved in offensive action.”
So far the UK has limited its involvement in the Iran conflict to defensive action, with RAF jets flying sorties to protect Gulf allies against drone attacks.
Overnight, an RAF Typhoon jet shot down another Iranian drone in the Gulf, while ground troops from the RAF Regiment also eliminated drones in what the Ministry of Defence described as a “high-threat area”.
