Starmer will not be swayed by Trump’s ‘small and petty’ insults, says Lammy

Exclusive: deputy PM says UK will not join Iran conflict despite Trump’s sometimes ‘incomprehensible’ social-media barbs Donald Trump’s insults towards Keir Starmer are “small and petty” and designed to put pressure on the prime minister to change his position on Iran, David Lammy has said, as he insisted the UK would not get dragged into the conflict. The deputy prime minister argued the US president should be able to “disagree agreeably” with allies rather than publishing attacks on social media, and that US actions had “made things worse, not better” as far as global instability was concerned. The UK’s relationship with Washington has become increasingly strained as the conflict continues, with Starmer heavily criticised and at times mocked by Trump for not committing British equipment and personnel to fighting the war. In response, Starmer has said he is “fed up” with the effect that Trump’s actions in the Middle East are having on British energy bills, while Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has described the conflict as a “mistake” that is wreaking havoc on the global economy. In an attempt to repair relations and stress the urgency of reopening t