Starmer insists he is ‘not going to yield’ amid Trump threats to trade deal
Mr Trump insisted his strained relationship with Sir Keir would “not at all” overshadow the royal visit.
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he is “not going to yield” to pressure from Donald Trump, after the US president threatened to change the terms of the trade deal.
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After weeks of Mr Trump lashing out at the UK and Sir Keir for not following the US into war with Iran, he has now suggested the terms of the UK-US trade agreement brokered last year “can always be changed”.
Relations between the British and American leaders deteriorated after Sir Keir rejected the prospect of UK involvement in the Middle East conflict.
Mr Trump’s latest broadside at Sir Keir’s Government comes after details of the King’s state visit to the US later this month were revealed.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, Sir Keir addressed Mr Trump’s overnight comments.
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He told MPs: “My position on the Iran war has been clear from the start. We’re not going to get dragged into this war. It is not our war.
“A lot of pressure has been applied to me to take a different course, and that pressure included what happened last night.
“I’m not going to change my mind. I’m not going to yield.
“It is not in our national interest to join this war, and we will not do so. I know where I stand.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey asked the Prime Minister about the comments in the House of Commons during Prime Minister's Questions.
Sir Ed told the Commons: “In a phone call with Sky News last night, President Trump has threatened to rip up his trade deal with the UK as punishment for us not joining his idiotic war in Iran.
“This must be the last straw. Surely, the Prime Minister can’t send our King to meet a man who treats our country like a mafia boss running a protection racket?”
In his response, the Prime Minister also rejected the Lib Dem leaders’ calls to cancel the King’s visit to the US.
Sir Keir said: “In relation to the King’s visit, this the purpose of the visit is to mark the 250th anniversary of relations and independence, obviously, of the US.
“The monarchy is an important reminder of the longstanding bonds and enduring relationship between our two countries, which are far greater than anyone who occupies any particular office at any particular time.”
Charles and Camilla’s four-day trip to the US at the end of the month comes amid a worsening transatlantic relationship, after verbal attacks by President Trump on Sir Keir and other Nato allies for not joining his war in Iran.
The historic visit between April 27 and 30 – the King’s first visit to the US as monarch – will mark the 250th anniversary of American independence and herald the start of celebrations across the US.
Speaking only hours after Buckingham Palace released details of the King’s US itinerary, Mr Trump described Charles as a “great gentleman”.
Mr Trump insisted his strained relationship with Sir Keir would “not at all” overshadow the royal visit.
He then began to criticise Sir Keir, telling the broadcaster that while he liked the Prime Minister, he had made a “tragic mistake in closing the North Sea oil”, as well as “a tragic mistake on immigration”.
Mr Trump then said the relationship with the UK had “been better, but it is sad”, before hinting at the future of the US-UK trade deal.
He said: “We gave them a good trade deal, better than I had to, which can always be changed.”
Sir Keir’s official spokesman said he would not characterise the relationship between the two leaders in the same way as Mr Trump, saying the special relationship “exists on multiple levels” and was “far bigger than any individual issue”.
He added that UK officials continued to engage with their US counterparts on trade.
A spokesman for Kemi Badenoch, meanwhile, said the Conservative leader believed the King’s visit to America should “certainly” go ahead.
He added: “The relationship between Britain and the US is there irrespective of who is in the White House.
“Obviously, the royal family are some of our greatest cultural assets, and we want to make sure that whoever is the president next recognises that we in Britain appreciate everything that America does, and we want that relationship to continue.”