Starmer says he will ‘not yield’ to Trump’s pressure over Iran war

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated on Wednesday that he will not give in to US President Donald Trump’s pressure following Trump’s threat to reconsider a trade deal with Britain over the Iran war. Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, Starmer said: “I’m not going to change my mind. I’m not going to yield.”

Trump threatens trade deal

Starmer was responding to a question about Trump’s interview with Sky News on Tuesday, in which the US president threatened to “rip up” his trade deal with Britain “as punishment for us not joining his idiotic war in Iran.” Starmer reiterated that the UK “is not going to get dragged into this war,” emphasizing that it is not in Britain’s national interests. “It is not our war, and a lot of pressure has been applied to me to take a different course, and that pressure included what happened last night. I’m not going to change my mind,” he said.

Trump criticizes UK policies

In the same interview, Trump described Britain’s immigration policies as “insane” and lamented the “sad” state of the US-UK special relationship. “When we needed them, they were not there. When we didn’t need them, they were not there. And they still aren’t there,” Trump said. Starmer’s firm stance signals continued divergence between Washington and London over the Middle East conflict.