British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sharply criticized U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday, appearing to compare him to Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with ITV’s political podcast, saying: “I'm fed up.”
Until a few months ago, Starmer had received warm remarks from Trump, but recently has faced growing criticism, particularly over his refusal to allow the U.S. military to use British assets for strikes on Iran — a position that was softened last month but not fully reversed. Trump accused Starmer and his government of failing to rise to the moment, at one point remarking: “He’s no Churchill.”
In the interview, Starmer said he was fed up with British families facing rising bills “because of the actions of Putin or Trump,” referring to the impact of their conflicts on global energy markets.
He said that despite a ceasefire declared in Iran, the effects of the Middle East crisis are “clearly visible” in Britain. “I'm fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down on energy, businesses' bills go up and down on energy, because of the actions of Putin or Trump across the world,” he said.
Starmer also called for greater resilience and independence in energy, warning that people in Britain will be “paying for the war.” Addressing the Strait of Hormuz, he said it remains to be seen whether it has truly reopened. “Our position is 'open means open' for safe navigation. That means toll-free navigation and vessels can get through,” he said, adding the world would need to “wait and see” whether that is fully implemented.
According to reports, a ceasefire agreement between Tehran and Washington includes a provision allowing Iran to collect transit fees from vessels passing through the strait. “Some of the discussions in the last couple of days have been, let's see what happens in two, three, four days,’” Starmer said. “That'll begin to be the test. So it's not what people say on day one or day two.”
In the interview, Starmer said Israel is “wrong” to continue its strikes in Lebanon despite the ceasefire with Iran, and said it “should stop” on principle. Asked whether the Israeli strikes violate the ceasefire, he replied: “Let me be really clear about it. They're wrong. That shouldn't be happening. That should stop. The question isn't a technical one of whether it's a breach of the agreement or not. The question is actually a matter of principles.”
Asked about Trump’s pre-ceasefire warning that “a whole civilization will die” if the U.S. attacked Iran’s infrastructure, Starmer said: “That is not language I would use. I'm clear that for the United Kingdom, we have our principles, we have our values, we will be guided by them in everything that we do.”
Responding to Iranian claims that Britain allowed U.S. B-2 bombers to operate from its bases for strikes on Iran, Starmer said: “Our bases will not be and are not being used for wider offensive and particularly for offensive on civilians. From the get-go, we've been monitoring this situation. So I'm pretty clear in my own mind about what we've agreed and what the use of the bases are. I've been saying we are not going to be dragged into this war because I say there must be a lawful basis. That matters if you're going to commit our service personnel to risk their lives.”