Starmer Stands Firm Against Trump's Pressure Over Iran Conflict

Wed Apr 15 2026 17:40:31 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer remains resolute in his stance to avoid involvement in the Iran conflict, despite pressure from US President Donald Trump. Starmer asserts the war is not in the UK's national interest.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has dismissed calls from US President Donald Trump to engage in the ongoing Iran conflict, asserting it is not in the national interest of the UK to join the war. In response to Trump's criticism of the UK not providing support during the conflict, Starmer reiterated that he remains firm in his position. Chancellor Rachel Reeves echoed Starmer's concerns, emphasizing the lack of a clear exit strategy from the war, which has significant implications for the UK economy.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he is not going to yield to pressure from the US president to join the conflict in Iran.

It comes after Donald Trump told Sky News that when the US asked the UK for help they were not there. He also suggested the trade deal with the UK can always be changed.

Sir Keir told the Commons: I'm not going to change my mind, I'm not going to yield, it is not in our national interest to join this war and we will not do so. Trump has persistently criticised the prime minister after he refused to join offensive measures in the US-Israel war against Iran when it began in late February.

Responding to a question from Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey about Trump's latest comments, Sir Keir told Prime Minister's Questions: My position on Iran has been clear from the start, we're not going to get dragged into this war.

It is not our war, a lot of pressure has been applied to me to take a different course and that pressure included what happened last night.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves had already expressed frustration at what she called Trump's folly in starting the war without a clear exit plan. She told The Mirror: This is a war that we did not start. It was a war that we did not want. I feel very frustrated and angry that the US went into this war without a clear exit plan, without a clear idea of what they were trying to achieve.

In its latest World Economic Outlook, the IMF cut its estimate for UK growth this year to 0.8%, claiming the conflict will have significant impacts on the UK economy.

Trump was quoted saying, It's the relationship where when we asked them for help, they were not there. When we needed them, they were not there. And they still aren't there, referring to the ongoing tensions between the US and UK regarding support for Iran.

Chancellor Reeves is in Washington attending the IMF's spring summit, where the impact of the Iran conflict is a critical topic of discussion.