Wes Streeting has branded Donald Trump’s language as “incendiary, provocative, outrageous” – but insisted people must draw a distinction between what the US president “says and what he does”.
The health secretary launched a tirade against the US president on Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme as he reacted to the rapidly changing picture in the Middle East following the collapse of talks between the US and Iran.
Mr Streeting, who is still being seen as a potential leadership candidate to replace Keir Starmer, praised the prime minister’s refusal to enter the war.
But, unlike Sir Keir, who simply criticised Mr Trump’s values, the health secretary did not hold back on recent statements made by the US president.
The health secretary said: “Over the course of the last week, President Trump has said some pretty bold – in Yes Minister language – incendiary, provocative, outrageous things on social media.
“I think we’ve all come to learn that you judge President Trump through what he does, not just what he says.”
Mr Streeting was also critical of the way the US president has focused very personal attacks on the prime minister, such as comparing him to Neville Chamberlain and saying “he is no Winston Churchill”.
The senior minister said: “You’ve seen some of the criticisms he’s levelled at this country.
“The prime minister has sought throughout the time they’ve both been in office simultaneously to influence effectively, to make sure we’re leveraging the bilateral relationship.”
The health secretary described Nigel Farage as a “plastic patriot” and attacked the Reform UK leader and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch for initially wanting to join Trump in his attack on Iran.
But Mr Streeting admitted disagreements over the Iran war, Greenland and the Chagos Islands deal had “undoubtedly strained things with the Trump administration”.
He added: “But on so many other things, our interests as the UK and the US are intertwined. We are old and close friends, and we’ve got a shared outlook as democratic countries, and we’ve got shared security interests.
”So all of that work, all of that partnership continues to go on. And the point I’m making is you have to distinguish between some of the rhetoric, which people might find shocking, and then the reality.”
It came as Mr Streeting insisted that the long-awaited Defence Investment Plan, which has already been delayed by six months, will be published “shortly”.
He told the BBC that he would not agree to money being redirected from health spending to defence to fund an increase to 3 per cent of GDP to boost military readiness.
He said: “The defence investment plan is coming. It will be published when it is ready, when it is robust, and it is a plan that can be delivered.”
He contrasted that with the “pie in the sky promises” made by the previous Tory government, saying Labour “do action, not words”.
Asked when the spending document will be published, Mr Streeting said: “Shortly. I understand it is being finalised.”