Sir Keir Starmer has urged European allies to back Nato in the wake of Donald Trump’s threats to withdraw from the alliance, declaring that he is “fed up” with bills going up because of the US president’s war on Iran.
The prime minister said his government must “remake our country” to ensure that Britain is not “at the mercy of events abroad” as the economic and diplomatic fallout continues.
The conflict has placed Nato under increasing strain, with the US president accusing allies of not being “there when we needed them” and repeating his threat to walk away.
But speaking on the final day of his visit to the Gulf on Friday, Sir Keir insisted that maintaining the alliance is “in America’s interests” and called for European members to strengthen their commitment.
“It is in America’s interests, it’s in European interests. Nato is a defensive alliance, which for decades has kept us much safer than we would otherwise have been,” he said.
“It’s the single most effective military alliance the world has ever known. Do we Europeans need to do more? Yes, I’ve been making that argument for the best part of two years, to our European partners as much as anybody else. We continue to make that case, and we will make that case,” he added.
His comments came as US vice-president JD Vance warned Tehran not to “play us” as he left for Islamabad, where crucial negotiations between the US and Iran will take place this weekend. “We’re looking forward to negotiation. I think it’s going to be positive,” said Mr Vance.
Earlier, the president accused Iran of doing a “dishonourable” job of adhering to a fragile ceasefire agreement made earlier this week by failing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which remains blocked, meaning that crucial supplies are unable to pass through.
Sir Keir’s warning about Nato follows the US president’s online rant against the alliance on Wednesday evening after his meeting with its general secretary, Mark Rutte.
“NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN. REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!” wrote Mr Trump on Truth Social.
The president has previously raised the possibility of the US quitting Nato, branding the alliance a “paper tiger” after countries including the UK refused to get involved in the war launched against Iran by the United States and Israel, or to answer Mr Trump’s call for help in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Sir Keir’s stance was echoed by UK defence secretary John Healey, who insisted on Friday that the US remains “absolutely locked into” Nato. He added that it would be better to “focus on our actions” than pay attention to the president’s outbursts.
He told the London Defence Conference: “You know, if we focus on our actions, rather than just simply the exchange of words and social media posts, then the fundamentals for me remain that America is absolutely locked into – with benefits as well as massive contributions – to Nato.”
Sir Keir spoke to Mr Trump on Thursday night about the need for a “practical plan” to get ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz after a two-week conditional ceasefire was announced.
It came shortly after the prime minister criticised the US president over the knock-on effects of the Iran conflict, saying he was “fed up” with bills going up in the UK “because of the actions of Putin or Trump”.
Iran’s blockade of the key shipping route in retaliation for US strikes on Tehran has prompted oil prices to soar, and sparked wider fears about the impact on the cost of living in the UK. The International Monetary Fund has already warned that it will be forced to downgrade its economic growth forecasts because of the conflict, and said that the impact on global fuel supplies because of the closure of the strait will be felt for “some time”.
Sir Keir said the outbreak of war should serve as a warning to Britain to “build resilience” both at home and with European allies.
“Britain has been buffeted by crises for nearly two decades now,” he said, referring to the 2008 financial crash, austerity, Brexit, Covid, the war in Ukraine and Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-Budget.
“This time, it will be different. The war in Iran must now become a line in the sand, because how we emerge from this crisis will define all of us for a generation. And instead of hoping to return to the world of 2008, we will forge a new path for Britain – one that strengthens our energy, our defence and our economic security in a new age.”
He added that resilience has been “at the heart” of his approach to the war as he has tried to cushion families from economic pressure.
“That is why, alongside our actions in the region, we’ve capped energy bills and invested heavily in the homegrown energy that can free us from the tyrants who manipulate gas prices.”