appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

Agence France-Presse

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday said he would not “yield” to pressure to join the Iran war after US President Donald Trump threatened to scrap a UK trade deal.
“We’re not going to get dragged into this war. It is not our war,” Starmer told parliament.
“I’m not going to change my mind. I’m not going to yield. It is not in our national interest to join this war,” the Labour leader added.
In a phone interview with Sky News, Trump threatened to alter an agreement struck with Britain that limits the impact of his US tariffs blitz.
Trump, who has repeatedly slammed Starmer’s policies, said strains in the relationship with the Nato ally would “not at all” negatively affect King Charles’ state visit to the United States this month.
In reference to the royal trip, Starmer told parliament that the two nations’ “long-standing bonds … are far greater than anyone who occupies any particular office at any particular time”.

London and Washington concluded a trade agreement last year capping US tariffs at 10 per cent on most British manufactured goods.
In return, the UK agreed to open its markets further to American ethanol and beef, sparking concerns in the country.
At the time, it was an advantageous agreement for London, which benefited from the lowest tariffs granted by the US.
This advantage has, however, been weakened since the US Supreme Court struck down some tariffs and Washington retaliated by imposing a temporary 10 per cent levy on almost all of its imports pending a new tariff regime by July.
While Trump praised his good relationship with Starmer at the time of the agreement, ties have since deteriorated, particularly over the war in the Middle East.
Starmer angered Trump by refusing to allow British bases to be used for Washington’s initial strikes on Iran last month.
He later agreed to a US request to use two British military bases for a “specific and limited defensive purpose”.
“It’s a relationship where when we asked them for help, they were not there,” Trump told Sky News.
“When we needed them, they were not there. When we didn’t need them, they were not there. They still aren’t there,” he insisted.

Starmer’s Labour government, which has sought to build bridges with Trump since his return to the White House in January 2025, has recently hardened its rhetoric towards its historic ally.
Finance Minister Rachel Reeves on Tuesday hit out at the “folly” of Trump launching a war with Iran “without a clear exit plan”.
Starmer told parliament on Monday that Trump was wrong to threaten to destroy Iranian “civilisation”, while on Sunday Health Minister Wes Streeting criticised Trump’s language as “incendiary, provocative, outrageous”.
Against this backdrop, Reeves was to see US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington on Wednesday as part of an International Monetary Fund meeting to detail the economic impact of the conflict.


UK PM Starmer says ‘not going to yield’ to Trump’s Mideast war threats

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker 2026

Global funds fuel Hong Kong IPO rebound as investors rebalance China portfolios: HKEX

Paul Chan backs Hong Kong to be world’s No 2 financial hub within 15 years

Britain

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during the weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons in London on Wednesday. Photo: Handout / PRU / AFP

Pedestrians walk along the City of London in London, Britain, in March. The UK and US concluded a trade deal last year capping US tariffs at 10 per cent on most British manufactured goods. Photo: EPA

A US Air Force B-1 Lancer bomber takes off from RAF Fairford in southwest England on March 15. Fairford is one of two bases the UK has given the US permission to use for a “specific and limited defensive purpose”. Photo: AFP

Britain’s King Charles to charm Trump on state visit overshadowed by US-UK rift

Britain’s King Charles hosted US President Donald Trump for a lavish state visit in September. Photo: Reuters

US President Donald Trump holds a letter from King Charles as he meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office on February 27, 2025. Photo: Reuters

Queen Camilla, King Charles, US President Donald Trump and US first lady Melania Trump arrive for a state banquet at Windsor Castle in September. Photo: TNS

UK’s PM Starmer to host industry leaders for Middle East war talks on Monday

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Photo: Reuters

Starmer calls emergency meeting on Iran war’s economic impact on UK

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Photo: EPA

A US Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress takes off at RAF Fairford airbase in Gloucestershire, Britain. Photo: Reuters

A protester outside the US embassy in London on Sunday. Photo: AFP

UK allows US to use its bases to strike Iran missile sites targeting Hormuz

A USAF B-1 bomber takes off at RAF Fairford airbase in Gloucestershire, Britain, on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

News

World

Europe

Keir Starmer insists the UK will not be dragged into the Iran war despite Trump’s threats to scrap a bilateral trade deal


Keir Starmer insists the UK will not be dragged into the Iran war despite Trump’s threats to scrap a bilateral trade deal.


UK PM Starmer says ‘not going to yield’ to Trump’s Mideast war threats

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Keir Starmer insists the UK will not be dragged into the Iran war despite Trump’s threats to scrap a bilateral trade deal

Keir Starmer insists the UK will not be dragged into the Iran war despite Trump’s threats to scrap a bilateral trade deal