President Donald Trump is threatening to revisit the U.S. trade agreement with the United Kingdom, citing frustration with Britain's opposition to potential military action against Iran and criticizing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
"We gave them a good trade deal. Better than I had to, which can always be changed," Trump said in an interview with Sky News on Wednesday. "But we gave them a trade deal that was very good because they're having a lot of problems."
The remarks come as tensions rise between Washington and London over Iran, with Trump criticizing Starmer and raising questions about the durability of the so-called special relationship.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Starmer said he would not back down in the face of U.S. pressure.
"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. I'm not going to yield," he told lawmakers.
Asked about U.K.-U.S. relations, Trump offered a blunt assessment.
"It's the relationship where, when we asked them for help, they were not there. When we needed them, they were not there. When we didn't need them, they were not there. And they still aren't there," he said.
The warning over the trade deal comes less than a year after the U.K. became the first country to secure a trade agreement with the United States during Trump's second term. The deal included reduced U.S. tariffs on British automobiles, steel and aerospace products in exchange for expanded access for U.S. beef and bioethanol.
However, tariffs on British steel have not been fully eliminated, and uncertainty remains over the Technology Prosperity Deal negotiated during Trump's state visit to the U.K. in September.
Trump also criticized the U.K.'s energy policy, taking aim at its decision to scale back oil and gas exploration in the North Sea.
"I think he [Starmer] has made a tragic mistake in closing the North Sea oil," Trump said. "You see, your energy prices are the highest in the world."
The comments come ahead of King Charles III's planned state visit to the United States later this month, adding strain to the diplomatic backdrop.
However, Trump spoke warmly about the king, calling him a "great gentleman" and a "friend."
But Trump's threat over the trade deal should be "the last straw," Liberal leader Ed Davey said, while urging Starmer not to send the monarch to meet "a man who treats our country like a mafia boss running a protection racket."
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