Donald Trump is a “very transactional” president whose repeated demands on Iran must be seen in this context, one of Keir Starmer’s senior ministers has said in an unusually blunt assessment of relations between the countries in the UK.
Asked about the US president’s threats of some form of retaliation against allies who do not supply ships to try to free the Strait of Hormuz, Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, said the UK was not obliged to accept all US requests.
After Trump again criticized the UK for an apparent lack of enthusiasm in aiding the US-Israel war against Iran, McFadden said it was important to separate the US president’s “rhetoric” from the larger issues.
In a late-night interview with the Financial Times, Trump reiterated his frustration with the United Kingdom for not sending ships to the Strait of Hormuz, the vital maritime cargo passage that has been virtually closed by Iranian retaliatory attacks.
“It’s appropriate that the people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait help make sure that nothing bad happens there,” Trump said. “If there is no response or if it is negative, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO.”
Asked if he thought Trump might reduce support for NATO if other members didn’t do what he demanded on Iran, McFadden told Sky News: “Well, that’s the president. The quote he just gave sums it up.”
“It’s a very transactional presidency, and our job is to navigate this, to always remember that the friendship between the United States and the United Kingdom runs very deep. It’s a good relationship. It’s long-lasting and I think it will outlast all the personalities involved.”
Instead of sending ships, the UK is drawing up plans to send mine-detecting drones to the Strait of Hormuz, amid concerns that meeting Trump’s demand could exacerbate the crisis.
When asked about this, McFadden said: “The honest answer is: these things will be discussed between the prime minister and the president, and I can’t give you a list of the equipment we would send at this time, but the position we have taken more generally on the war, as I said, is that we have not sought to be protagonists in this.”
Speaking earlier to Times Radio, McFadden said: “There’s always a lot of rhetoric in this presidency. Behind that, there’s a good, close relationship between the UK and the US. I’m sure that will continue. We talk to each other all the time.”
“But that doesn’t mean we will always have to support every intervention and every action the United States decides to take.”
Starmer has worked hard to maintain good relations with Trump where possible, for example using his first visit to the Trump White House to invite the president on an unprecedented second state visit to the United Kingdom.
But Trump has repeatedly criticized Starmer for what he sees as a lack of enthusiasm for supporting the attack on Iran, saying earlier this month: “We are not dealing with Winston Churchill.”
However, Downing Street is confident that its stance of supporting only defensive measures against Iranian drone and missile attacks is in line with international law and generally matches the public mood in the UK.
Starmer and Trump spoke by phone on Sunday. According to a readout of the call from Downing Street, the pair “discussed the current situation in the Middle East and the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to end the disruption to global shipping, which is driving up costs around the world.”
