Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he will not be "diverted or deflected" from acting in the UK's best interests, following a scathing interview in which US President Donald Trump said the prime minister could only "recover" politically by changing course on immigration and North Sea oil drilling.
In a phone interview with the BBC, Trump said the UK and other allies should have offered more support to the US over Iran, adding that he "didn't need them at all" but "they should've been there."
Responding to the criticism during a press conference on Thursday, Starmer stood firm: "I'm here to serve the British people always, to have their interests and to make sure that I make the right decisions for them."
He added: "That is why I took the decision that we would not be dragged into the war in Iran. That is why I took the decision we wouldn't be dragged into the blockade of the Strait. That is in our best national interest. That is my duty. I will stick to it, and I'm not going to be diverted or deflected from that by what anybody else says."
The prime minister has consistently refused to commit British forces to the conflict, which began in late February when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran. Trump has previously expressed displeasure with the level of UK support, and on Thursday reiterated his call for Britain to ramp up oil and gas extraction in the North Sea — a move Starmer has rejected in favour of investing in renewables.
Trump also weighed in on the appointment of Lord Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington, calling it "a really bad pick" but saying the prime minister had "plenty of time to recover." When pressed on what recovery would look like, Trump said: "If he opened the North Sea and if his immigration policies became strong, which right now they're not, he can recover, but if he doesn't, I don't think he has a chance."
Despite the tension, Trump struck a conciliatory note regarding the upcoming state visit of King Charles and Queen Camilla, saying it could "absolutely" help repair relations. The King, he said, is "a fantastic man" and "a great man" whose presence "would absolutely be a positive."
The royal couple are due to arrive in the US on Monday for a four-day visit that includes a meeting with Trump at the White House, an address to Congress, and stops in New York, Virginia, and Bermuda. The Foreign Office said the trip will mark the 250th anniversary of US independence and celebrate a partnership of "shared prosperity, security and history."
With additional reporting by Sarah Smith, North America editor