Trump mocks Starmer in fresh attack

US president impersonates PM, ridiculing him over aircraft carriers at White House lunch Daily Telegraph 03/04/26 Donald Trump has mocked Sir Keir Starmer as weak over his response to the war with Iran.

The US president impersonated the Prime Minister, claiming he had told him he had to “ask his team” about sending “two old broken-down aircraft carriers” to the Middle East. Speaking at an White House Easter lunch, Mr Trump said Britain “should be our best” ally, but had not been during the US-Israeli war with Iran. 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’?” Impersonating Sir Keir with a weak voice, Mr 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.” Sir Keir has faced repeated attacks from Mr Trump after refusing to join his attacks on Tehran and initially denying the US permission to conduct strikes from British military bases including Diego Garcia, in the Chagos Islands. The Prime Minister has also refused to send warships to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which carries a fifth of the world’s oil and is effectively being blockaded by the Iranian regime. The closure has sent the price of oil and gas surging, and threatens to trigger a global recession. Mr Trump has said Sir Keir is “not Winston Churchill” and has reportedly started calling the Prime Minister a “loser”. In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, the US president claimed the King would have stood by him over the Iran war, suggesting he would have taken a different stance to that of Sir Keir. The King is due to travel to Washington this month for a state visit to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence. Mr Trump also told The Telegraph that he is strongly considering pulling the US out of Nato. He has criticised allies for not joining his war, and this week told European countries to build up some delayed courage” and seize the strait. Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, has signalled that Iran could face further sanctions if the waterway remains closed after holding talks with representatives of more than 40 nations. She said collective action to increase pressure on Tehran was being discussed as she accused Iran of trying to “hold the global economy hostage” with its stranglehold on the key trade route. In the face of criticism by Mr Trump, Ms Cooper said that “our job is to take decisions in the UK national interest”. She added: “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.” Ms 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”, Ms Cooper said, including looking at issues such as clearing mines that may have been laid by Tehran. 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.