US President Donald Trump has told the UK he does not need its aircraft carriers and accused Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of seeking to “join wars after we’ve already won”, as the US and Israel continue to launch strikes on Iran.
In a social media post, Trump said the UK was “giving serious thought” to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East, before saying the US does not “need them”. Downing Street has not responded.
One of the UK’s two aircraft carriers has been placed on advanced readiness, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed.
Trump’s comments came after US bomber jets were seen landing in the UK as the US started using British bases for “specific defensive operations”.
“The United Kingdom, our once Great Ally, maybe the Greatest of them all, is finally giving serious thought to sending two aircraft carriers to the Middle East,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday. “That’s OK, Prime Minister Starmer, we don’t need them any longer – But we will remember.
“We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!”
Speaking on Air Force One in response to a question about the use of UK bases in the war, Trump referred to his post on Truth Social, saying: “We don’t need them”, appearing to reference the carriers.
He added: “It’s not the right time. It would have been nice to have them two weeks ago.”
The UK government has remained clear that it has no interest in joining the wider offensive campaign in the Middle East.
The crew of HMS Prince of Wales in Portsmouth have been told they must be ready to leave in five days.
This has raised speculation the carrier may be deployed to the to the Mediterranean to help defend British interests threatened during the conflict in the Middle East – but people inside Sir Keir’s government are playing down that idea.
The UK’s other aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth is out of action for the foreseeable future.
The UK has already said it will deploy a Royal Navy warship after an RAF base in Akrotiri in Cyprus has been targeted by drones.
HMS Dragon – which has air defence capabilities – is being sent to the Mediterranean to bolster security around the base, but will not set sail until next week.
The back and forth between Trump and Sir Keir began after the UK initially refused to permit the US to use UK bases for its joint offensive with Israel against Iran.
Sir Keir later approved “defensive” US action against Iranian missile sites from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, and said the UK government “does not believe in regime change from the skies”.
The UK prime minister said the decision was made after the situation changed last Sunday when Iran’s “outrageous” response became “a threat to our people, our interests and our allies”.
“President Trump has expressed his disagreement with our decision not to get involved in the initial strikes, but it is my duty to judge what is in Britain’s national interest,” he told MPs.
Trump told journalists in the Oval Office earlier this week he was “not happy with the UK” over the initial decision to refuse use of UK bases, which led to US planes “flying many extra hours” to carry out strikes last weekend. He also told reporters Sir Keir is “no Winston Churchill”.
Sir Keir has insisted the “special relationship” between the US and the UK had not been fractured while speaking to reporters on Thursday.
