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Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Sir Keir Starmer would not turn to “rhetoric or hyperbole” and would focus on “calm, steady decision-making” after Donald Trump again hit out at the UK.

She said people need to “focus on the substance and not social media posts” after the US president wrote on Truth Social that the UK was too late to offer support.

Sky News host Trevor Phillips and Ms Cooper breifly clashed on his Sunday show over the UK’s response to the Middle East conflict amid Donald Trump’s criticism of the UK.

Ms Cooper said “sometimes we will disagree” as both countries act in their national interest.

“We disagreed on the initial strikes that took place, and whether the UK should provide the basing support for them, but that is a legitimate thing for the UK Prime Minister to do,” she told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News.

Asked why the UK does not respond to the US president by telling him he is wrong, she said: “Keir Starmer’s style of doing politics is obviously very different, and I think that kind of calm, cool-headed approach to these big, serious, international issues… I really think that is right.

“And we’re not going to do things in terms of the rhetoric or hyperbole, we’re going to do things on really practical, calm, steady decision-making. Because I think that is actually the British character more widely… to do things in a serious and steady way.”

There was also some back and forth between the host and Ms Cooper when she refused to confirm when Mr Trump and Sir Keir had last spoken.

It is understood the pair last spoke last Saturday despite the conflict raging in the Middle East.

It comes as Mr Trump again hit out at Sir Keir Starmer over the UK’s involvement in the Middle East conflict, saying that the US does not need anyone to “join wars after we’ve already won”.

It comes after four American bombers landed in the UK and the US started using British bases for “specific defensive operations” on Saturday.

The US president was referring to reports that the UK was preparing an aircraft carrier in response to the Middle East crisis.

The Ministry of Defence said it was increasing the preparedness of HMS Prince of Wales and reducing the time it would take to set sail, but that no decisions have been taken to deploy the warship.

The US president posted on his Truth Social platform: “The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East.

“That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer — But we will remember. We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!”

Sir Keir’s decision not to grant permission for the first wave of military action prompted a raft of criticism from Mr Trump in recent days, including a personal attack on the Prime Minister as being “not Winston Churchill”.

He has also called Britain’s response “very disappointing” and that it should be allowing America to use its bases “without question or hesitation”.

Sir Keir later granted permission for “defensive” US action against Iranian missile sites from UK bases.