United States President Donald Trump escalated his criticism of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer today, in a fresh indication of how strained the two allies’ relationship has become over the US President’s efforts to enlist the United Kingdom’s help in its strikes against Iran. Starmer - who declined a US request to use British bases for offensive operations against the Islamic republic - has “not been helpful”, Trump said in an interview with the Sun tabloid. “It’s very sad to see that the relationship is obviously not what it was.” It’s the latest in a series of jibes Trump has made towards the Labour Party leader since he pushed back against Trump’s designs on Greenland earlier in the year. The US President has repeatedly criticised Starmer’s deal ceding sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius - something he did again in his Sun interview - and has also dismissed Britain’s role alongside American troops in the Afghanistan war. Starmer will recognise a familiar pattern of Trump hurling barbs at allies after a falling out over policy. He regularly mocks Emmanuel Macron’s accent, and in January said of the French President “nobody wants him because he’s going to be out of office very soon”. The same month, he accused Mark Carney of ingratitude after the Canadian Prime Minister urged mid-sized powers to club together against aggressive superpowers. “Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark,” he said. Since coming to power in July 2024, Starmer has spent much of his time trying to charm and appease Trump, granting the US President an unprecedented second state visit. Yet this week he drew a clear line in the sand: Britain will not join its closest military partner in offensive action against Iran. “This Government does not believe in regime change from the skies” were the words from America’s main European ally less than 48 hours after the US and Israel began strikes. Starmer on Tuesday pushed back against Trump’s criticism that he was slow to authorise the use of British bases in the operation, saying in the House of Commons that the UK’s “actions must always have a lawful basis and a viable, thought-through plan”. While the British Prime Minister didn’t explicitly say it, the corollary of his remarks is that he doesn’t think the US bombardment of Tehran is the result of careful planning. As for the legality, Starmer was clear on the advice he’d received ahead of the initial bombardment. “I will not commit our military personnel to unlawful action,” he said. “Starmer has long tried to walk a tight line with Trump but today he’s made it clear,” Ben Judah, a former adviser for Starmer’s Government who helped steer Britain’s response to US action against Iran’s nuclear sites last year, said in an interview. “He doesn’t believe in regime change from the air and he doesn’t believe US aims in Iran are clearly defined.” Starmer’s position has eroded the so-called special relationship between the two nations, with Trump telling the Telegraph yesterday that he was “disappointed in Keir”. Later yesterday, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said, without naming the UK, that “capable partners are good partners, unlike so many of our traditional allies who wring their hands and clutch their pearls, hemming and hawing about the use of force”. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Photo / Stefani Reynolds, Bloomberg The repeated disagreements over Greenland, the Chagos Islands and tariffs have been resolved in a phone call between the two leaders. Yet it was a case of forgiven but not forgotten, prompting Starmer to deliver a pivotal speech at the Munich Security Conference in which he moved away from his long-held stance of refusing to choose between Washington and Brussels. Instead, he urged Europe to deepen its interdependence and end its over-reliance on American military support. The subtleties of that foreign policy shift have now become more explicit. “Britain has an America problem: our most intimat...