Sir Keir Starmer has rebuked JD Vance after the US vice-president appeared to insult Britain by calling it a “random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years”.
Mr Vance’s comments were instantly denounced on this side of the Atlantic, with many pointing out that British troops fought alongside the US in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In a press briefing this lunchtime, Sir Keir’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister, and the country as a whole, is full of admiration for all British troops who have served, for instance, in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of whom have lost their lives in the process and have obviously served alongside allies, including the United States.”
In further comments, the Prime Minister’s spokesman refused to clarify whether the UK had been “ambushed” by Donald Trump’s announcement on Monday that he would stop all military aid to Ukraine.
The news came just hours after Sir Keir told MPs he was unaware of speculation of any announcement by the US president.
In a humiliating climbdown, Mr Vance took to X to insist he had not insulted British troops.
He said: “This is absurdly dishonest. I don’t even mention the UK or France in the clip, both of whom have fought bravely alongside the US over the last 20 years, and beyond.”
However, he added: “But let’s be direct: there are many countries who are volunteering (privately or publicly) support who have neither the battlefield experience nor the military equipment to do anything meaningful.”
Many users were quick to point out that the only countries to offer ground troops so far are the UK and France, so his original comments could only have been directed at the two European allies.
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