Former U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss said Saturday on Newsmax's "Saturday Report" that Prime Minister Keir Starmer "fundamentally does not back Western civilization," criticizing his response to U.S. strikes on Iran and warning the U.S.-U.K. alliance is facing a difficult period.
Truss said Starmer's initial refusal to allow U.S. forces to use British regional air bases reflected broader hesitation and political pressure within Britain.
"The problem is he is very much in hock to the Islamists within Britain who, some of whom are actually supporting the Iranian regime, and he has been sitting on the fence," Truss said. "He's not been strong. He's not backed the United States."
She added that the prime minister's approach has damaged Britain's reputation with allies.
"It gives our country a very bad reputation," Truss said.
Asked whether former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill would be dismayed by Starmer's leadership, Truss said President Donald Trump's criticism of Starmer as "no Winston Churchill" understated the situation.
"Well, that's an understatement from President Trump about what Keir Starmer is like," she said. "He is widely viewed with derision across the country. He's the least popular prime minister in British history."
Truss also warned of growing concerns about Britain's military readiness and its role in supporting allies in the Middle East.
"The state of our armed forces is now very, very serious in terms of being able to defend ourselves," she said, citing delays in deploying naval vessels to the Gulf.
"There have been complaints as well from our allies in the Gulf region, who expected Britain to step up."
Despite the tensions between the governments, Truss emphasized that ties between the American and British people remain strong.
"The relationship between the British people and the American people is still very strong," she said, citing shared values including "a belief in free speech, a belief in free markets, a belief in sovereign nation-states and our country and Western civilization."
However, she said Starmer's worldview is at odds with those principles.
"The problem is, in Keir Starmer, we have a prime minister that doesn't share those values," Truss said. "He wants to kowtow to international institutions like the EU and the U.N. He doesn't want to stand up for Britain."
Truss predicted Starmer would eventually be removed from office and the traditional alliance would recover.
"Ultimately, he will be booted out," she said. "And then I believe the special relationship will be restored to what it once was. But we are going through a very difficult period because we've got somebody in Downing Street who fundamentally does not back Western civilization."
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