Donald Trump has mocked Sir Keir Starmer as weak and had a fresh dig at the UK’s navy as Britain led diplomatic efforts to try and reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, closed by the Iran war.
The US president impersonated the prime minister as he recounted Starmer saying he had to ask his team about sending “two old broken-down aircraft carriers” to the Middle East.
Trump said Britain “should be our best” ally but had not been, in his latest sideswipe over the UK’s refusal to be drawn into the conflict with Tehran, which has emerged in a video from a private Easter White House lunch.
It is not the first time the American leader has been critical of the UK’s aircraft carriers, having previously dismissed them as “toys” that “aren’t the best”.
Earlier this week, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth rounded on Britain for failing to send warships to the region, saying “last time I checked there was supposed to be a big, bad Royal Navy that could be prepared to do things like that as well”.
Their disparaging remarks come as the King, who is head of the armed forces, is due to travel to Washington later this month for a state visit to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Speaking at the lunch on Wednesday, 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, 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.”
Trump later warned Iran faced more attacks on its infrastructure without the country’s leadership agreeing to US demands.
Posting on Truth Social, he said: “Our Military, the greatest and most powerful (by far!) anywhere in the World, hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!
“New Regime leadership knows what has to be done, and has to be done, FAST!”
In the face of ongoing military strikes by the US and Israel, Iran has tightened its grip on the maritime pinchpoint of the Strait of Hormuz, sending global oil and gas prices skyrocketing.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has signalled Iran could face further sanctions if the vital waterway remains closed after holding talks with more than 40 nations from across the world.
She said collective action to increase pressure on Tehran was being discussed as she accused the country of trying to “hold the global economy hostage” with its stranglehold on the key trade route.
In the face of criticism by Trump, Cooper said that “our job is to take decisions in the UK national interest”.
“Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz is a direct threat to global prosperity,” she said in a statement following the virtual meeting on Thursday.
“Iran is trying to hold the global economy hostage in the Strait of Hormuz.
“They must not prevail. To that effect, partners today called for the immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait and respect for the fundamental principles of freedom of navigation and the law of the sea.”
Britain is seeking to lead the diplomatic initiative, including countries such as France, Germany and some Gulf nations, after Trump signalled it was up to others to unblock the waterway not relied upon by the US.
After chairing the video call, 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.”
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.”
Another meeting next Tuesday of military planners will consider how to “keep shipping safe for the long-term”, Cooper said, including looking at issues such as clearing mines that have possibly been laid by Tehran to sink ships in the sea passage.
On Thursday, a UN resolution on reopening the Strait of Hormuz was watered down following opposition from China, Russia and France ahead of an expected vote on Saturday.
The initial draft from Bahrain would have allowed countries to “use all necessary means” to secure passage, but the final draft authorised only defensive actions, according to The Associated Press.
Trump, in an address to the US people on Wednesday, said countries that rely on the strait should “build up some delayed courage” and “just grab it”, and suggested that after the Iran conflict was over, the critical waterway would “just open up naturally”.
But Starmer has said that unblocking the lane will “not be easy”.
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