"American planes are operating out of British bases that is the special relationship in action. Sharing intelligence every day to keep our people safe that is the special relationship in action. Hanging on to President Trump's latest words is not the special relationship in action."
"In previous eras, such criticism from a US president, particularly in so concentrated a volley, would prompt mass soul-searching in Downing Street and the Foreign Office, where the flame of the so-called special relationship with Washington still flickers. But for now, as demonstrated at PMQs, Starmer is if not completely sanguine about Trump's comments then certainly confident of his path."
"The first is the modern day diplomatic truism that, much as with the old joke about the British weather, if you dislike Trump's opinion on something then don't worry, just wait a bit and something very different will come along in its place."
Prime Minister Keir Starmer responded to Conservative criticism about Iran policy by reframing the UK-US special relationship around concrete actions: American military planes operating from British bases and daily intelligence sharing. Trump has recently criticized Starmer through multiple media outlets, claiming he delayed approving US airbase access and comparing him unfavorably to Winston Churchill. Historically, such concentrated presidential criticism would trigger significant concern in Downing Street and the Foreign Office. However, Starmer appears confident and relatively unbothered by Trump's comments. This confidence stems partly from recognizing Trump's well-documented pattern of rapidly changing public opinions, making his statements unreliable indicators of actual policy direction or relationship status.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]