Keir Starmer accused of 'killing the special relationship' with the US after striking 'wrong balance' on Iran

Despite mounting criticism from the President about his stance on Iran, Sir Keir assured that he maintains a "good relationship" with Mr Trump.

He told GB News Political Editor Christopher Hope: "It's a good relationship. We had a good discussion yesterday about the Straits, as you would expect. We're strong allies, have been for decades, but it is for me to act in what I consider to be the best interests of Britain.

"I have to keep that uppermost in my mind, and it is interesting, for want of a better word, that those that two weeks ago were urging us to go headlong into the full blown war are beginning to have second thoughts about that. And there's a reason for that."

Delivering her verdict on Sir Keir's handling of the US amid the conflict, Mrs Braverman told GB News that delaying the use of our military bases to the Americans was the wrong decision.

She said: "I said last year that the special relationship is dead and Keir Starmer killed it because of the general fractiousness between the UK Government and the US Government.

"Now, it's not to do with Donald Trump or whoever is actually president. The US as a nation is our closest ally, and it really has been destroyed, this relationship with the. US."

Noting other disagreements with the US alongside Sir Keir's actions in the Middle East, the Reform MP argued: "It is because of the choices that Keir Starmer has made. The decision not to support the use of our military bases to the Americans was the wrong one.

"But having said that, of course, we don't support sending British troops to Iran, we don't support getting involved in a long and drawn out foreign war. We don't support airstrikes on Iran.

"But the the broader context is a very, very damaging one, whether it's the Chagos deal, whether it's broader issues between the US and the UK - the special relationship is dead."

Stressing that the Prime Minister has "struck the wrong balance" on prioritising Britain's interests, Mrs Braverman said that the most important thing he can do is "protect our national sovereign interest".

She explained: "I think the key issue is the British interest. We need to protect our national sovereign interest, that is the most important thing for British citizens and that's why we need to make sure that we don't get entangled in a long and drawn out war which would almost likely push up our own energy costs.

"But we need to ensure that we are supportive where and when we can be. That's why the original decision not to loan our air bases to the Americans was the wrong one, and Keir Starmer has struck the wrong balance."

Criticising Sir Keir's strategy further, Mrs Braverman stressed: "Deploying a naval ship far too late after the event in a very half-hearted attempt to support the Americans was not supportive of the American mission. So I think that it is a delicate balance.

"We don't always follow the Americans into misguided conflicts, but we do also show support where and when we can, and Keir Starmer got it wrong."

Questioned on Sir Keir's newly announced support package for heating oil customers, Mrs Braverman declared it is "too little, too late" in offering help to already struggling Britons.

She said: "Well it's classic Labour, cause a massive problem because of their zealots approach to net zero and their approach which has degraded our ability to be self-sufficient when it comes to energy, and then fund it by taxpayer subsidy to help homeowners and householders.

"It's too little, too late, and ultimately it doesn't deal with the root cause of our energy problems in this country."

The Reform MP concluded: "Reform and myself, we believe in British oil, British gas and our own sources of energy and tapping into those very rich resources that we have already in our country, not spending billions of pounds on the net zero obsession. That is Ed Miliband and Keir Starmer's hobbyhorse."