Sir Keir Starmer has been warned that his relationship with Donald Trump may be irrevocably damaged following another series of scathing remarks by the US president.
Kim Darroch, the former national security adviser, and a former British ambassador to the US, said the prime minister was “right to resist getting directly involved in Mr Trump’s Iran “war of choice”.
“But it has unquestionably done significant damage to his personal relationship with Trump,” he told The Guardian, adding that a “damaged Trump” could “lash out” with more tariffs.
It comes after Mr Trump mimicked Sir Keir for his response to the Middle East conflict in a speech at the White House. He recounted Sir Keir saying he had to ask his team about sending “two old broken-down aircraft carriers” to the Middle East.
Speaking at the lunch on Wednesday, Mr Trump said: “I asked (the) UK, who should be our best.
“In fact the King is coming over here in two weeks, he’s a nice guy, King Charles.
“But should be our best but they weren’t our best.
“I said ‘you have two, old broken-down aircraft carriers, do you think you could send them over’?”
Impersonating Sir Keir with a weak voice, Mr Trump added: “Ohhh I’ll have to ask my team.
“I said ‘you’re the Prime Minister, you don’t have to’.
“No, no, no, I have to ask my team. My team has to meet, we’re meeting next week.
“But the war already started. Next week the war’s going to be over… in three days.”
The remarks were made at a private lunch but they were released by the White House on a social media channel – they were later deleted.
Downing Street sources said Mr Trump had never asked the UK for the vessels and Britain had not offered them.
In the face of criticism by Mr Trump, foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said that “our job is to take decisions in the UK national interest”.
Ms Cooper told broadcasters on Thursday: “We’ve taken a different view from the US from early on and we didn’t get drawn into offensive action in the Middle East, because we thought that there were real concerns about escalation risks, impact – including on the economy – and also the need for a proper plan.”
Ms Cooper ducked a question on whether Washington was still an ally, saying: “We want to see the conflict resolved, concluded, as rapidly as possible, because, frankly, that’s what’s best for the cost of living here in the UK.”
Earlier this week, the prime minister reiterated that he will stick by his decisions to not enter the war with Iran, saying: “whatever the pressure on me and others, whatever the noise, I’m going to act in the British national interest in all the decisions that I make.
“And that’s why I’ve been absolutely clear that this is not our war and we’re not going to get dragged into it.”
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