UK not bound to meet every demand of ‘transactional’ US president: Minister
Downing Street has stressed that the UK’s approach, limited to defensive measures against Iranian drone and missile attacks, is consistent with international law and reflects public sentiment.
The United Kingdom is not obliged to comply with every demand from US President Donald Trump, one of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's senior ministers has said, describing Trump's approach as "very transactional."
Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, made the comments amid rising tensions over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route effectively blocked by Iranian retaliatory attacks, reports The Guardian.
The US president has repeatedly urged allies, including the UK, to send ships to the strait and warned of potential consequences for NATO if they do not.
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"It's only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there," Trump told the Financial Times in an overnight interview.
"If there's no response or if it's a negative response, I think it will be very bad for the future of NATO."
Speaking to Sky News, McFadden said, "Well, that's the president right there. The quote that you've just given has summed him up. It's a very transactional presidency, and our job is to navigate this, to always remember that the friendship between the United States and the United Kingdom runs very deep. It's a good relationship. It's enduring, and I think it will outlast all the personalities involved."
Rather than sending ships, the UK is considering deploying minesweeping drones to the strait, reflecting concerns that a larger military presence could escalate the crisis.
"The honest answer is, these things will be discussed between the prime minister and the president, and I can't give you a list of equipment at the moment that we would send," McFadden said.
"But the position that we've taken more broadly in the war is that we've not sought to be a protagonist in this."
Earlier, he told Times Radio, "There's a lot of rhetoric, always, in this presidency. Underneath that, there is a good and close relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States. I'm confident that will continue."
"We speak to one another all the time. But that doesn't mean that we will always have to support every intervention and every action that the United States chooses to take."
Starmer has worked to maintain strong ties with Trump, including inviting him for an unprecedented second state visit during his first trip to the White House.
Despite this, the US president has criticised the UK for what he sees as a lack of enthusiasm in supporting measures against Iran, saying earlier this month, "This is not Winston Churchill that we're dealing with."
Downing Street has stressed that the UK's approach, limited to defensive measures against Iranian drone and missile attacks, is consistent with international law and reflects public sentiment.
The two leaders spoke by phone yesterday (March 15).
According to Downing Street, the discussion covered "the ongoing situation in the Middle East and the importance of reopening the strait of Hormuz to end the disruption to global shipping, which is driving up costs worldwide."
