Sir Keir Starmer faced a public rebuke from Donald Trump during a virtual G7 leaders’ meeting on Wednesday, according to two officials cited by Axios, after the Prime Minister’s initial reluctance to grant the United States access to British bases for strikes on Iran.
The reported exchange took place on a call that included French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, among other G7 leaders. According to the Axios report, Trump mocked the Prime Minister over his earlier refusal to allow the US to use UK bases before ultimately reversing that position. “You should have proposed it before the war — now it is too late,” Trump is said to have told Starmer during the call.
The UK did subsequently authorise American forces to conduct what were described as “defensive” strikes targeting Iranian missile sites using British bases. However, the reported tension centred on the timing of that decision, with Trump apparently making clear his view that the concession had come too late to be of full value.
No reference to any such exchange appeared in Downing Street’s official account of the meeting. A spokesman for No 10 said the Prime Minister had spoken with G7 leaders to discuss the situation in the Middle East, efforts to manage the economic impact of the conflict, and support for regional partners. The readout stated that Starmer “reaffirmed the long-standing position that Iran must abandon its nuclear ambitions” and confirmed that the UK had authorised the use of British bases for defensive operations to target Iranian missiles at source.
The discrepancy between the officials’ account reported by Axios and the Downing Street readout of the March 11 call means the reported remarks have not been independently verified. No 10 has not publicly addressed the specific claim.
The episode reflects the diplomatic pressures bearing on Western leaders as the conflict in the Middle East continues to escalate. G7 nations have been working to coordinate their response to the crisis, including efforts to address rising oil prices and the ongoing blockage of the Strait of Hormuz. How allied governments navigate both military cooperation and internal disagreements is expected to remain a central issue in the weeks ahead.
