'We deal in substance, not social media': Foreign Secretary hits back after Trump tells Starmer UK 'not needed' in Iran war
The US president said the UK was "finally giving serious thought" to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East, but went on to decline the offer.
The Foreign Secretary has hit back at Donald Trump after he claimed the UK was “not needed” in the Middle East, because the US has “already won.”
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Ramping up his war of words with Sir Keir Starmer on Saturday night, Trump said: "We don't need people that join wars after we've already won.”
This marks the latest of a series of attacks by Trump after Sir Keir chose not to join in on the US and Israel’s initial strikes on Iran.
Speaking to LBC’s Lewis Goodall, Yvette Cooper hit back at the US president, saying Sir Keir’s government “deals with substance, not social media posts.”
"Well you didn't want the war to happen, but it's happened, so you've got to live with the consequences."@Lewis_Goodall can't get a clear answer from the Foreign Secretary on whether the UK would accept Iranian refugees following the outbreak of war. pic.twitter.com/A5mkcMAe57
— LBC (@LBC) March 8, 2026
She said: “I think my view is that we deal with substance, not with the social media posts.
“That's one of the things I've learned in doing this job, and that's what we need to concentrate on.
“The substance that's a substantive criticism. Well, the substance here is that the UK did not provide support for the initial US and Israel strikes last weekend, and that's because Keir Starmer took the decision that was not in the UK's national interest to do so.
“Not in accordance with our values. We had wanted the continued diplomacy negotiations to continue, and I don't underestimate how difficult those were, because we were involved in providing support for those negotiations. We wanted that to continue.”
In his furious TruthSocial post on Saturday, the US president said the UK was "finally giving serious thought" to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East, but went on to decline the offer.
He wrote: "The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East."
"That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer - But we will remember.
"We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!"
Mr Trump's post follows reports that the UK is preparing an aircraft carrier for possible deployment to the Middle East.
LBC understands the crews of HMS Prince of Wales have been told they must be ready to set sail in five days.
The acceleration of the readiness time means the giant £3 billion vessel would be able to respond more rapidly if a decision is taken to mobilise.
It means the carrier would be deployed alongside an escort of other vessels and a submarine if sent to the region.
The reports come amid mounting tensions between London and Washington over the conflict over Sir Keir's lack of support for Mr Trump's war on Iran.
He later said he was "very disappointed" by the PM, despite his British counterpart allowing him to fly missions for "specific and limited defensive purposes" last Sunday.
Defending his decision, Sir Keir said he did not believe in "regime change from the skies" and that the government must keep a "cool head".
He urged the US leader to de-escalate the crisis and negotiate with what is left of Iran's leadership.
And while he hasn't responded to the US president directly, the PM wrote in the Mirror on Sunday: "At moments like this, the country needs seriousness, not political games".
"While opposition parties seek to undermine Britain on the world stage, my Labour government is focused on protecting British people at home and abroad."
During his Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Mr Trump went on on to criticise the Starmer's bid to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
"This is not the age of Churchill. I will say the UK has been very, very uncooperative with that stupid island that they have, that they gave away and took a 100-year lease," he told reporters.
"Having to do with, perhaps, indigenous people claiming the island that never even saw the island before. What's that all about? They ruin relationships, it's a shame."
Sir Keir has faced criticism from allies in the Middle East for failing to support Cyprus an RAF base on the island was hit by an Iranian drone.
He suggested the impacts of the conflict could be felt in the UK for months, with potentially huge impacts on energy bills and the cost of living.
The PM went on to acknowledge that that relatives of the tens of thousands of British citizens trapped in the war zone were 'worried sick' but a mass evacuation 'is not going to happen overnight'.
He added: "I want you to know that your Government is resolute in our response, at home and abroad.
"We will do everything we can to protect British lives, uphold British values and safeguard the national interest."
Sir Keir acknowledged that Mr Trump had 'expressed his disagreement', but insisted it was in Britain's national interest to abide strictly by international law.
He told MPs repeatedly that any military action had to have a 'lawful basis' and a 'viable thought-through plan' – and suggested the US had neither.