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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday that he will not change his position on the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran despite criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, insisting that Britain will not be drawn into the conflict.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Starmer said his position had been clear from the beginning and that Britain would not join the war.
“My position on the Iran war has been clear from the start. We’re not going to get dragged into this war,” Starmer said when asked about Trump’s comments.
He added that pressure had been applied on him to take a different course, but said that would not alter his decision.
“It is not our war, and a lot of pressure has been applied to me to take a different course and that pressure included what happened last night,” Starmer told lawmakers.
“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,” he said.
Starmer’s remarks came a day after Trump criticized him in an interview with Sky News.
In that interview, Trump attacked Starmer’s energy and immigration policies and said relations between the United Kingdom and the United States had “been better.”
The U.S. president has repeatedly complained about Starmer’s refusal to allow the United States to use British military bases in offensive operations against Iran.
According to the report, Britain judged such operations to be illegal.
A spokesperson for Downing Street said Wednesday that the British government does not share Trump’s description of current U.S.-U.K. relations.
“Talks between the U.S. and U.K. on trade and across a range of interests continue every day. That is a natural part of the special relationship that we have with the U.S. and something that we’ve had for decades, and it’s something that will continue,” the spokesperson told reporters.
The statement pushed back against Trump’s claim that the relationship had worsened and emphasized that day-to-day cooperation between the two governments remained in place.
Starmer’s comments made clear that Britain’s stance on the war remains unchanged despite outside pressure and public criticism from Trump.
He told parliament that joining the war would not be in Britain’s national interest and said he would not shift his position.
His remarks underscored the gap between London and Washington over the conflict, as the British government maintained that it would not take part in the war.
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