Trump says Starmer could be pandering to Muslim voters in UK by not backing US-Iran strikes

US President Donald Trump accused British Prime Minister Keir Starmer of “pandering" to Muslim voters after initially blocking American access to UK bases for the US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

“This was the most solid relationship of all. And now we have very strong relationships with other countries in Europe,” Trump told The Sun. “I never thought I’d see that. I never thought I’d see that from the UK. It’s very sad to see that the relationship is obviously not what it was.”

Trump also criticized Britain for losing its identity, saying it is “not such a recognisable country. I mean, you look at what happened over the last period of time and it’s very different. London is a very different place, with a terrible mayor. You have a terrible mayor there, some terrible people. But it’s a very different place.”

He praised other European nations, noting, “France has been great. They’ve all been great… The UK has been much different from others… we think Keir’s was just very different.”

Starmer eventually reversed his position Sunday night, granting US forces access to bases like Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands for targeting Iranian missile sites. The initial refusal reportedly followed legal advice from Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer.

Trump said the UK “should stop people from coming in from foreign lands who hate you,” adding, when asked if Starmer was pandering to Muslim voters: “it could be” the case.

A YouGov poll Monday found 49 percent of Britons oppose US military action against Iran, while only 28 percent support it. Fifty percent oppose US use of British airbases, with 30 percent in favor. Tories including Tory Kemi Badenoch and Reform Party’s Nigel Farage, condemned Starmer for initially blocking access.

“This was the most solid relationship of all… now we have very strong relationships with other countries in Europe,” Trump added.