US President Donald Trump has suggested that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is “pandering” to Muslim voters by declining to support US military strikes against Iran, in a fresh escalation of tensions between the two leaders.
In an exclusive telephone interview with The Sun newspaper conducted late yesterday evening and published earlier today, Trump expressed disappointment that the UK had “not been helpful” in the ongoing conflict. He claimed Starmer took “far too long” to permit US forces to use British bases for operations.
He specifically referenced the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands, which Starmer reportedly hesitated to authorise for initial strikes over the weekend of February 28-March 1.
“It’s very sad to see that the relationship is obviously not what it was,” Trump told The Sun, contrasting the UK’s stance with supportive actions from France and other European allies.
Trump said Starmer “has not been helpful.
“I never thought I’d see that. I never thought I’d see that from the UK. We love the UK,” he said.
“This was the most solid relationship of all. And now we have very strong relationships with other countries in Europe,” the President added.
In contrast with the UK, Trump said France had been “great”.
When directly asked if Starmer’s reluctance stemmed from a desire to appease Muslim voters, amid Labour’s recent electoral challenges and divisions over Middle East policy, Trump replied: “It could be.”
He also took a swipe at London Mayor Sadiq Khan, saying he was “terrible”.
“London is a very different place, with a terrible Mayor. You have a terrible Mayor there, some terrible people. But it’s a very different place,” Trump said.
The comments come amid heightened US military action against Iran, including strikes that reportedly eliminated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, escalating a broader regional conflict involving Israel and other players.
Starmer has defended the UK’s position, emphasising a preference for a “negotiated solution” and limiting support to defensive measures, stating it is his duty to act in Britain’s “national interest”.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones, responding on BBC Radio 4‘s Today programme this morning, dismissed Trump’s insinuations as unfounded.
“The US and UK relationship is important,” Jones said, rejecting any notion that domestic political considerations influenced foreign policy decisions.
This marks the second public rebuke from Trump in as many days, following an earlier interview with The Telegraph where he voiced being “very disappointed” in Starmer.
The exchange highlights strains in the “special relationship” less than two years into Starmer’s premiership, amid Labour’s domestic polling woes and ongoing debates over immigration, energy and international alliances.
Trump’s broader critique extended to advising the UK to “open up the North Sea” for energy production and to “stop people from coming in from foreign lands who hate you”, reflecting his views on migration and economic policy.
In a reaction to the interview, Robert Jenrick of the leading opposition party Reform UK called Starmer “unfit” to be Prime Minister in a scathing attack on his approach to the Middle East conflict.
Speaking to GB News, Jenrick, who is Reform UK’s Treasury spokesman, criticised the Labour leader for “not wanting to take action” alongside its allies, including the US.
COMMENT: Starmer is merely the latest in a truly terrible series of British prime ministers. Though the British people do not fully deserve this fate, they cannot absolve themselves of the electoral responsibility for the abject condition of their country, writes Kevin Myers.…
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) February 3, 2026
