Donald Trump does not respect Keir Starmer, says former foreign secretary

Donald Trump “does not respect Keir Starmer” and the UK-US relationship is “damaged”, a former foreign secretary has warned.

Sir James Cleverly said “you can’t talk out of both sides of your mouth at the same time”, as he accused the Prime Minister of being “indecisive”.

Prime Minister Sir Keir is travelling to the Gulf on Wednesday, where he is expected to discuss a pause in fighting between the US and Iran, and efforts open the Strait of Hormuz shipping lanes permanently.

Mr Trump previously warned on his Truth Social platform that “a whole civilisation will die” if safe passage through the region’s waterways was not restored, as he threatened to ramp up his offensive.

But Mr Trump and Iran’s supreme national security council confirmed a two-week ceasefire less than two hours before the US’s deadline, with shipping allowed through the strait.

Sir James told the Press Association that Sir Keir’s presence in the Middle East was a “complete irrelevance – it will do no harm, it will do no good”.

He said: “He’s flown off to the Gulf for a photo opportunity to try and reclaim some kind of credibility but the simple fact of the matter is he has painted the UK out of the picture when it comes to international relations.

“As a former foreign secretary, I find that genuinely heartbreaking.

“He has made this country a second-tier country when it comes to international relations.”

Sir James, who is the Conservative shadow local government secretary, had earlier told GB News: “It’s quite clear now that President Trump does not respect Keir Starmer at all.”

He also said: “You can’t talk out of both sides of your mouth at the same time.

“The US has seen that.

“His personal relationship with the president of the US, I think, is now beyond repair.

“But worse than that, the UK system, the wider diplomatic and defence and intelligence system, has always had a very strong relationship with the United States of America.

“And I worry that that system-to-system relationship has been damaged, because Keir Starmer basically is such a weak and ineffective leader.”

Since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran, Mr Trump has mocked Sir Keir.

The president said he asked the UK to send “two old broken-down aircraft carriers” to assist the US, and impersonated the Prime Minister as he continued: “‘Oh, I’ll have to ask my team.’”

The UK previously granted the US permission to use military bases, including Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, for “defensive” strikes on Iranian missile sites.

But Sir Keir has said several times: “This is not our war and we’re not going to get dragged into it.”

Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley said had the Conservatives been in office, “Britain would have been thrust head first into war without a plan”.

She said: “That’s not leadership, that’s a fundamental failure of judgment that would have seen our armed forces put in harm’s way.

“While Kemi Badenoch continues to prove she’s out of her depth and, alongside Nigel Farage, is completely unfit for high office, Keir Starmer continues to offer calm-headed leadership at home and abroad, and is focused on easing the cost of living.”

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey on Wednesday described Mr Trump’s remarks this week as “spine chilling”.

Speaking on LBC, Sir Ed said: “You know, what we’ve just witnessed is the classic Donald Trump cycle of destruction.

“He does a really idiotic thing, stupid thing with this war, then he pretends everything’s fine, then he leaves other people to fix it, and he wants us all to praise him.

“Well surely, we’ve all now seen through Donald Trump.

“We’ve seen now that he’s not a reliable ally to the UK and I’m afraid a Trump-led White House will no longer be trusted by many of his allies.”

The Lib Dems leader added: “With Trump in the White House, he’s insulted our troops, he’s insulted our country.

“He’s created this idiotic war which has damaged the Middle East, damaged the United States, and damaged our country – you know, go look at the price people are paying for their petrol and diesel.”

Sir Ed also said: “We have to spend a lot more on defence.”

Mr Trump has also faced criticism from the Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who he last year described as a “friend”.

After being read part of Mr Trump’s Truth Social post threatening to obliterate Iranian “civilisation”, Mr Farage told the Press Association the US president wanted to get Tehran around the negotiating table.

“But those words are, yeah, they’re way too far,” he said.