Politics Home | Keir Starmer Says Trump’s Claim Nato Troops “Stayed Off Front Line” In Afghanistan Is “Insulting” And “Appalling”

Minister Stephen Kinnock branded the comment “deeply disappointing” (Alamy)

3 min read23 January

In his strongest criticism yet of the US president, Starmer said he was “not surprised [Trump’s words] caused such hurt to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured,” adding that if he had said something like that, he would “certainly apologise”.

Speaking to Fox News on Thursday, Trump said that he was “not sure” that the Nato alliance would be there for the US “if we ever needed them”.

“We have never really asked anything of them,” Trump claimed, adding, “They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan…and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines”.

The US is the only country to have ever invoked Article 5 of Nato, which states “an armed attack against one Nato member shall be considered an attack against them all”.

The UK, among other Nato allies, supported the US during the war in Afghanistan following the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001. A total of 457 British troops died in the conflict. 

On Friday morning, the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said Trump was “wrong” to “diminish the role of troops, including British forces” in Afghanistan. 

Social care minister Stephen Kinnock branded the remarks “deeply disappointing”, telling Sky News he did not think there was “any basis” for the US president to make those comments. 

Kinnock said on Thursday:  “President Trump’s comments are deeply disappointing. There is no other way to say that, I don’t really know why he said them. I don’t think there’s any basis for him to make those comments.”

He later said: “And many, many British soldiers and many soldiers from other European and NATO allies gave their lives in support of American missions, American-led missions in places like Afghanistan and Iraq.”

The chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Dame Emily Thornberry described Trump’s remarks as an “absolute insult” on Thursday night.

“How dare he say we weren’t on the frontline?” she told BBC’s Question Time, adding, “How dare this man, who’s never seen any action, and who somehow managed to avoid the draft when everyone else in the United States had to face it?”

Trump has faced criticism for allegedly dodging the draft for the Vietnam war several times.

Writing on X, formerly, Twitter, the Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch said Trump’s claim Nato allies “weren’t on the front line” in Afghanistan “is flat-out nonsense”.

“British, Canadian, and NATO troops fought and died alongside the US for 20 years.

“This is a fact, not opinion. Their sacrifice deserves respect not denigration,” she added.

She was joined in her criticism by her former shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick, who defected to Reform last week after he was sacked by Badenoch. He called Trump’s comments “offensive and wrong”.

In a post on X, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: “Donald Trump is wrong. For 20 years our armed forces fought bravely alongside America’s in Afghanistan.”

 Tory MP and Afghanistan veteran Ben Obese-Jecty labelled the US president’s comments as “outrageous” in an interview with Sky News. 

Obese-Jecty, who served in Sangin, Helmand province from 2009-11, also said that the claim “insults our Nato partners”.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said on X: “457 British troops lost their lives in Afghanistan. Trump avoided military service five times. How dare he question their sacrifice. Farage and all the others still fawning over Trump should be ashamed.”