Keir Starmer said Britain would respond to the escalating conflict in the Middle East with a "cool head" after President Donald Trump rebuked the prime minister for failing to provide sufficient support for his attacks on Iran.
Britain, historically a strong ally of Washington, initially refused to allow its military bases to be used by the US for its attack on Tehran, softening this stance only when Iran attacked its neighbors – allowing UK bases to be used for limited defensive strikes.
Trump responded by criticizing Starmer three times, including in the Oval Office on Tuesday where he told reporters: "This is not Winston Churchill we're dealing with."
Starmer, who had previously said that any British military action must have a "workable and well-thought-out plan", told parliament on Wednesday that the so-called special relationship was seemingly in conflict every day and was not based on the words of the US president.
Citing American planes flying from British bases, British planes protecting American bases and intelligence sharing, he said: “This is the special relationship in action.
"Relying on President Trump's last words is not the special relationship."
Starmer said he knew people across Britain were concerned about the potential for escalation, and as a result he said Britain would act "with clarity, purpose and a cool head".
Starmer has been criticized from all sides in the country for the decision, with opponents on the left calling for him to condemn the military action. On the right, opposition leaders Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage attacked Starmer for failing to support Britain's key security and intelligence ally.
Starmer said Britain had been working closely with the United States for weeks on pre-positioning military assets in the region.
After an Iranian-made Shahed drone hit the runway at the British Akrotiri base on the island of Cyprus, London said it would deploy HMS Dragon, an air defense destroyer, along with additional helicopters with counter-drone capabilities.
