Senior Labour MPs are urging Sir Keir Starmer to “hold his nerve” and “stick to what we believe is right” in the face of another furious rant by Donald Trump.
The US president launched another broadside at the prime minister overnight, writing on Truth Social that the US does not need anyone to “join wars after we’ve already won”.
Sir Tony Blair also weighed into the debate, arguing that Sir Keir had made a mistake by not joining in the war on Iran from the outset.
Despite the ongoing spat, a Downing Street spokesperson said the two leaders spoke on Sunday afternoon.
“The leaders began by discussing the latest situation in the Middle East and the military co-operation between the UK and US through the use of RAF bases in support of the collective self-defence of partners in the region,” they said.
“The prime minister also shared his heartfelt condolences with President Trump and the American people following the deaths of six US soldiers.”
Amid the row that has been brewing for over a week, Labour MPs called on the PM to stick to his policy of defensive action.
Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper warned that Labour “needs to learn the lessons of Iraq” in a put-down to Sir Tony.
She was reflecting the continued anger over the way the former prime minister led Britain into that disastrous Middle East war in 2003, and is now criticising Sir Keir.
However, figures connected to the Trump administration are now warning that the ill feeling over the UK’s refusal to get involved in direct attacks from Iran at the start will impact trade between the two countries, with the relationship between the two governments “completely broken”.
It reflected claims by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage after a meeting with the US president last week, declaring: “The relationship between Starmer and Trump is over.”
Earlier this week, Mr Trump said the prime minister was “no Churchill”, adding that he had “ruined relationships” over Iran and the Chagos Islands deal.
Labour’s chair of the foreign affairs select committee, Dame Emily Thornberry, urged Sir Keir to “hold his nerve”.
Reflecting the mood of the parliamentary party, she said: “It will blow over. We have to stick to what we believe is right and in Britain’s interests.”
But Andrew Hale, a leading trade expert at the Advancing American Freedom think tank who provides advice to the Trump administration, warned that the row will prompt the president to look again at his tariff regime.
He said: “Many people I speak to in the US federal government no longer see the UK as a reliable ally and recognise that the UK is suffering from system failure.”
A source in the administration also warned that the initial refusal to allow the US to use RAF bases “will be a betrayal that will never be forgotten or forgiven”.
However, another source close to the administration privately expressed sympathy for Sir Keir’s position to The Independent, reflecting divisions on the right of US politics over the relationship with Israel.
“Trump didn’t share any plans or intel with the UK but wants to use their assets without notice and cries when they won’t join their Israel-led war? If we don’t need the UK, why’s he crying about it on Truth Social?”
Downing Street confirmed the leaders spoke on Sunday afternoon, over a week since their last confirmed call.
“The leaders began by discussing the latest situation in the Middle East and the military cooperation between the UK and US through the use of RAF bases in support of the collective self-defence of partners in the region,” a readout of the call said.
“The prime minister also shared his heartfelt condolences with President Trump and the American people following the deaths of six US soldiers. They looked forward to speaking again soon.”
The row has seen an intervention from Sir Tony, who believes the UK should have joined the US and Israel in taking down the Iranian regime.
According to the Daily Mail, the former Labour prime minister, who supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, said at an event on Friday that Britain “should have backed America from the very beginning”.
Ms Cooper told Sky News: “There are some people in politics who think that we should always agree with the US.
“There are other people in politics who think we should never take action with the US again, whatever the circumstances. I don’t think either of those positions is in the UK’s national interest, and it is the responsibility [of] Keir Starmer to act in the UK’s national interest for British citizens.”
Asked if she was calling Sir Tony “a poodle”, she said: “I think the point is to make sure that, actually, we learn the lessons from some of the things that went wrong in Iraq, and I think that is exactly what Keir Starmer has done.”
Meanwhile, Tory former defence secretary Penny Mordaunt said that attacks on Sir Tony and claims by Labour that her party leader had insulted the RAF by suggesting they were “hanging around” were a distraction from a government which has failed to keep its word on increasing defence spending.
She told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme: “No 10 will brief against Kemi Badenoch, defence chiefs, Tony Blair and anyone else they can think of. Anything to distract from the only thing that matters: we must spend and deliver more for our armed forces. When will we wake up? What level of tragedy will it take?”
Meanwhile, Ms Badenoch continued her attack on what she claims is Sir Keir’s inaction.
She said: “What we need is a government that is very clear about our defence and our national interest. Labour are political pygmies playing student union politics. Britain should lead, defend our interests, and stand strong. Keir Starmer doesn’t have the backbone.”
The US administration has rejected suggestions that the current war with Iran could lead to similar devastation caused by the Iraq conflict.
US secretary of defence Pete Hegseth told reporters this week: “This is not Iraq, this is not endless.”
Britain did not join the initial strikes on Iran, but has since allowed US forces to use British bases to strike in a defensive capacity.
Sir Keir has repeatedly said he stands by his decision, and told parliament on Monday that his government “does not believe in regime change from the skies”, in an apparent criticism of the US president’s bombing campaign.
Ms Cooper also backed the prime minister’s dealings with Mr Trump on Sunday, saying that the UK government’s job is not to be “outsourcing our foreign policy” after the renewed criticism.
She said the prime minister would not turn to “rhetoric or hyperbole” and would focus on “calm, steady decision-making”, saying people need to “focus on the substance and not social media posts”.
