𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he will not be bullied by Donald Trump after the US president threatened to walk out of NATO and ridiculed Britain’s armed forces. Relations between Downing Street and the White House reached a new low on Wednesday, as the UK prepared to convene a coalition of 35 nations that will attempt to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane that Iran has closed in response to the assault from the US and Israel.

Sir Keir accused Mr Trump of trying to pressure the UK into joining his war, but insisted the president would fail. The Prime Minister said: “We’re clear there’s been a good deal of pressure on me to change my position in relation to joining the war, and I’m not going to change my position.

“Whatever the pressure, whatever the noise, I’m the British Prime Minister, and I have to act in our national interests.”

It came after the US president hit out at the state of the British military in a blistering attack on the United Kingdom. Mr Trump said: “You don’t even have a navy. You’re too old and had aircraft carriers that didn’t work.”

Mocking the Labour Government’s energy policy, Mr Trump said: “All Starmer wants is costly windmills that are driving your energy prices through the roof.”

Complaining that allies such as the UK had failed to join the war on Iran, Mr Trump claimed: “We would always have been there for them. They weren’t there for us.”

And the president suggested the US would leave the transatlantic NATO military alliance, saying withdrawal was “beyond reconsideration”. He said: “I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger.”

Sir Keir hit back, describing NATO as “the single most effective military alliance the world has ever seen”.

He insisted that the UK and US continued to co-operate on defence, security and intelligence. However, on Thursday, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will convene a virtual meeting of more than 35 nations committed to working together to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. They include France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, Canada, Australia and others, but it is not clear what role the US will play.

The meeting will discuss “diplomatic and political measures” to prevent Iran from limiting access to the waterway, which it has blocked with a mixture of threats and attacks on shipping, while “military planners” will look at ways of ensuring the Strait remains open once the fighting has stopped.

Downing Street fears Iran could continue to limit access to the Strait, causing economic chaos and pushing up energy prices, long after the US and Israeli military action against Iran has ended.

On Wednesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps insisted the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed to “enemies of this nation”.

Sir Keir said: “No matter how fierce this storm, we are well-placed to weather it and that we have a long-term plan to emerge from it a stronger and more secure nation.”

But he admitted: “It is now clear that the impact of this war will affect the future of our country.”

The Prime Minister said his Government was looking at “a number of contingencies” in case energy prices remained high in the cold autumn and winter months, following warnings that average annual bills are set to jump by £288 for UK households.

Mr Trump suggested the war could come to an end soon in a social media post, although it is not the first time he has made such a prediction.

The president said: “Iran’s New Regime President, much less Radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors, has just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE!

“We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!”

It is unclear who Washington has been negotiating with in Iran, with many of the country’s ruling figures having been killed during the conflict.

The White House said earlier this week it was “figuring out exactly who’s in charge”, while US secretary of state Marco Rubio said there were “some fractures going on… internally”.

Mr Trump said the war might last “four to five weeks” when it began almost five weeks ago.

Despite the frayed relations, the King is to go ahead with a state visit to Washington at the end of this month for the 250th anniversary of American independence, where he is due to speak at a joint meeting of the US House of Representatives and the Senate on April 28.

The letter of invitation from Congressional leaders said: “We believe an address to Congress will provide a unique opportunity to share your vision for the future of our special relationship and reaffirm our alliance at this pivotal time in history.”

Mr Trump has declared the visit will be “TERRIFIC!” and a “momentous occasion”.

Meanwhile, RAF Regiment gunners shot down more than 10 Iranian drones on Tuesday night.

UK Typhoon and F-35 jets, as well as Wildcat helicopters, also continued defensive missions in Cyprus, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

The UK has about 1,000 military personnel deployed across the Middle East.