President Donald Trump has declared that the upcoming state visit of King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the United States could "absolutely" help repair the strained transatlantic relationship between the US and the United Kingdom, which has been damaged by disagreements over the Iran war.
Trump Hails King Charles as a 'Great Man'
In an interview with the BBC, the US president praised King Charles as a "great man" and expressed confidence that the royal couple's four-day trip, beginning Monday, would be "a positive" for bilateral relations. The King and Queen are scheduled to meet Mr Trump, attend a White House banquet, and the King will address a joint meeting of the US Congress.
Mr Trump stated: "Absolutely. He's fantastic. He's a fantastic man. Absolutely the answer is yes. I know him well, I've known him for years. He's a brave man, and he's a great man. They would absolutely be a positive."
Trump's Criticism of Starmer
However, Mr Trump also warned that he does not believe Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer "has a chance" of repairing the relationship unless he changes direction, particularly by cracking down on immigration. The US president has previously derided the Prime Minister as weak and indecisive over the Middle East conflict.
When asked about his intervention in the row over Peter Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador, which Mr Trump called "a really bad pick," the president added that Sir Keir has "plenty of time to recover." He elaborated: "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."
Starmer's Response
Responding to Mr Trump's remarks during a visit to Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, north-west London, Sir Keir Starmer said: "Well look, I'm the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and I make my decisions based on what's in the British national interest, and not what other people say or do."
He emphasised: "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. 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."
Iran Conflict Tensions
Mr Trump also repeated his dissatisfaction with the UK's level of support during the Iran conflict, which Sir Keir had been reluctant to join. The president said: "I didn't need them at all but they should've been there. I didn't need them, obviously." He described his calls for support as "more of a test," adding: "I didn't need anybody. I wanted to see whether or not they would be involved."
