Trump mocks and impersonates Starmer amid UK-US tensions over Iran | News Politics

UK-US relations may be beyond repair after Donald Trump mocked and impersonated Keir Starmer in a now-deleted video.

The US President called the UK ‘not our best ally’ at an Easter lunch speech at the White House and used a weak voice to mimic Starmer.

His episode marks the latest in a string of rants at the UK for its stance on the US’s war in Iran, in which he previously told the UK to ‘get your own oil’ for refusing to get involved in the war.

Appearing to mock Starmer, Trump used his speech to ridicule the prime minister for speaking with his team about military decisions, and accusing him of being evasive about sending aircraft carriers to the US.

In his speech, the president 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?’

Mocking Starmer in a weak voice, Trump said: ‘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’s remarks were not open to the press, but were released in a White House social media post, which was later deleted, but redownloaded and republished by a Business Insider reporter.

According to Downing Street sources, Trump never asked the UK for the vessels, nor did Britain ever offer them, the Guardian reported.

Trump described the UK’s aircraft carriers as ‘old’ after Starmer declined to let the US use British military bases for its initial strikes on.

Starmer has been warned his relationship with Trump could be further strained following the speech.

One senior diplomat said Starmer made the right decision to ‘essentially ignore’ Trump, but added UK-US relations may not recover after Trump’s latest blow.

Kim Darroch, former national security adviser and a former British ambassador to the US, said Starmer should now look to build ties with Canada, Australia and Europe instead.

‘It could conceivably blow over. But it is equally possible that a damaged Trump could lash out, whether against Nato, or selected Europeans, including the UK, perhaps with new or higher tariffs – a risk which makes rebuilding our links with the EU single market an immediate priority,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Labour ministers have backed the prime minister, praising his calm demeanour in the face of Trump’s insults.

Emily Thornberry, Labour MP and chair of the foreign affairs committee, said she was ‘glad we have a leader in the UK who works with a team and listens to experts’.

However, Starmer was not the only person to be insulted by the US president after Trump took a moment during his speech to mock French President Emmanuel Macron.

He said Macron was ‘still recovering from the right to the jaw’ and claimed his wife, Brigitte, ‘treats him extremely badly’.

Despite Trump repeatedly hitting out at Starmer over his stance on the war in Iran, the prime minister said he would stick to his position, ‘whatever the pressure and the noise’.

‘I’m utterly focused on what is in the best interests of our country and I am unapologetic about that. Notwithstanding the pressure that comes from elsewhere, I will remain laser focused on what is in the British national interest,’ Starmer said.

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