This has now brought the prime minister more closely into line with British voters on the left, who are suspicious of Trump in general. A survey by YouGov this week showed 49 percent of people opposed U.S. strikes on Iran, compared with 28 percent who support the action. Levels of opposition are higher among Labour and Green voters.
Risky bet
The British premier’s pivot away from Trump is nonetheless a risky move, as the U.K. seeks closer cooperation with the U.S. on a host of thorny topics from trade negotiations to the future of the Chagos Islands.
Britain has only just got going again on frozen trade talks with the United States, in which Washington has continued to play hardball with its junior partner. Starmer has tried to serve too as a bridge between America and Europe on the war in Ukraine.
Sophia Gaston, a geopolitical analyst at King’s College London, said: “The downstream risks for Britain here are huge. We do not yet have any viable economic nor security alternative to the United States as our vital partner, and our principled stance may well cost us dearly.”
While she cautioned the current row shouldn’t be seen as “a death knell in any way” for the so-called special relationship, it does represent “a significant test” which will need to be offset through active diplomacy, including upping the U.K.’s defense spending.
The former aide quoted above said: “Trump is a deeply thin-skinned man who takes it all personally. He will take his foot off the gas on various things we’re talking about and make the next few months difficult.”