Thank goodness, for all his faults, we do have a Keir Starmer as PM instead of a Badenoch or a Farage, both of whom would have scampered off to join the ill-fated war at the mere mention of Churchill
Netflix will make movies and series about the way the world has effectively told Donald Trump: you’ve made your bed – now lie in it. Less that a week ago, the US President embarrassed Keir Starmer, loading the bullets for the Prime Minister’s critics to paint him as a ditherer for refusing to join his bombing campaign in Iran.
Since then, Starmer has been vindicated, the PM’s Commons critics have either run for cover or staged humiliating U-turns and Trump has backed himself into a corner. Iran’s economic war has so far cost the Americans billions. Trump was claiming victory on social media and on TV just days ago. But Iran’s move to close the Strait of Hormuz, causing mass disruption to global oil shipping, has left the President with egg all over his face.
He’s since gone back to the countries he claimed not to need and didn’t consult ahead of his war – including the UK – urging them to send ships to the Strait to effectively join his war effort. It’s been a no from France whose President Emmanuel Macron has been consistent in rejecting any involvement.
Spain has always been out, with their PM, Pedro Sanchez, one of the few left-wing leaders in Europe to condemn the attack on Iran as “unjustifiable”. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Europe’s most powerful leader, has cooled since he claimed last week to be “on the same page” as Trump.
Merz has reflected on the economic and security implications of the war, the lack of a clear exit strategy, rising energy costs and a potential refugee crisis. And even the far-right UK cheerleaders – Reform chief Nigel Farage and Tory front woman Kemi Badenoch – have ditched their war pom-poms and changed tack.
Badenoch actually had the brass neck to lie about initially urging Starmer to get stuck in. Good job there’s a record of her telling Conservatives in North Yorkshire that Starmer was “too scared” to get involved. There’s also a record of Farage initially declaring “we should do all we can do support the operation”. The Italian PM Giorgia Meloni –normally a Trump ally – has also joined the EU leaders’ chorus of disapproval, condemning the Iran attacks as being against international law.
Eventually it all stops about being left or right and becomes about basic humanity. There is only so much death and destruction even some Trump supporters can take.
And yet some US media are actually cowed by the increasingly ludicrous Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Secretary of War – who uses the Pentagon podium for preposterous political loyalty tests. He has lashed out at journalists presenting evidence to contradict his war triumphalism as betraying the White House and the country.
Thank goodness, then, for UK publications like this one that continue to question leaders – whatever side of the House they are on. In these pages last week, I set out my utter contempt for the US gamification of this current conflict. Innocent families continue to be slaughtered across Iran with their deaths laughed about and celebrated on the White House social media feed.
Since then, Trump has left those countries keeping him at arm’s length feeling utterly vindicated. Particularly after his comments about carrying out more strikes on Iran’s vital Kharg Island oil export hub “just for fun”.
The leaders of the European nations actually care about the way in which they are perceived by the people who put them there. They care about being held to account over a chapter soaked in shame and recrimination. They care about the fact that the justification for Trump’s attack on the Iranians seems to have changed several times over as we move into a third week.
And thank goodness, for all his faults, we do have a Keir Starmer as PM instead of a Badenoch or a Farage, both of whom would have scampered off to join the ill-fated war at the mere mention of Churchill, like a Pavlovian puppy. Imagine where we’d have been as a country then.