London, Apr 15: Prime Minister Keir Starmer hit back on Wednesday after President Donald Trump’s latest attack over the UK’s decision not to join the US strikes on Iran, this time threatening to review a trade deal agreed last year.
In a phone call with ‘Sky News’ on Tuesday, the US President said it was “sad” that the so-called special relationship with Britain has been strained despite him agreeing to a “good” trade deal “which can always be changed”.
This latest threat was raised in the House of Commons, with Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey questioning the feasibility of King Charles III’s upcoming State Visit to the US going ahead against the backdrop of such attacks by Trump.
“My position on the Iran war has been clear from the start. We’re not going to get dragged into this war. It is not our war,” Starmer told Parliament.
“A lot of pressure has been applied to me to take a different course, and that pressure included what happened last night (Trump’s ‘Sky News’ interview). 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, and we will not do so,” he said.
He went on to stress that the war would not impact the British monarch’s four-day visit to the US, which commences on April 27.
“The purpose of the visit is to mark the 250th anniversary of relations and independence of the US. The monarchy is an important reminder of the long-standing bonds and enduring relationship between our two countries, which are far greater than anyone who occupies any particular office at any particular time,” said Starmer.
It came as Buckingham Palace released details of the visit by King Charles and Queen Camilla, which will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and cover Washington DC, New York and Virginia.
“The visit will be an opportunity to recognise the shared history of our two nations; the breadth of the economic, security and cultural relationship that has developed since then; and the deep people-to-people connections which unite communities,” the palace said.
In Washington, the royals will receive an informal welcome by Trump and First Lady Melania Trump over a private tea, followed by a Garden Party.
“The King and Queen will be welcomed to the US with a formal ceremony later in the programme at the White House, which will feature a ceremonial military review. The King will join the President for a bilateral meeting, while the Queen and First Lady will meet,” Buckingham Palace stated.
King Charles is also due to deliver an address to the US Congress, marking only the second time a British monarch will address such a joint meeting since his mother Queen Elizabeth II’s speech during her State Visit in 1991.
A State Dinner at the White House will conclude the Washington leg of the tour, followed by New York where the royals will pay tributes at the September 11 attacks memorial and visit a grassroots community organisation.
In Virginia, the King and Queen are scheduled to meet one of the area’s indigenous communities and people involved in conservation initiatives and efforts to protect America’s natural environment.
At the conclusion of the US State Visit, Charles will head to Bermuda on May 1 and 2 for his first visit as sovereign to a British Overseas Territory to celebrate links between the island and the UK across “culture, economic growth and youth opportunity”.
“The King will also meet representatives from the UK Space Agency to hear about plans to install a new telescope site in Bermuda as part of global efforts to track space debris, supporting international space sustainability,” added the palace.
