Keir Starmer has taken a thinly-veiled swipe at Donald Trump – but insisted the pair’s relationship is not “in tatters”.

The prime minister refused to directly respond to the US president after he compared him to Adolf Hitler appeaser Neville Chamberlain.

That came after Trump said Starmer was “not Winston Churchill” over his decision not to initially let US jets mount launch bombing raids on Iran from RAF bases.

The PM has also rejected the president’s calls for the UK to send warships to the Gulf to help re-open the Strait of Hormuz.

Starmer flew to Saudi Arabia in the immediate aftermath of a two-week ceasefire being agreed between Iran, America and Israel.

He is due to have talks with leaders in the region on re-opening the strait.

Asked by reporters if his relationship with Trump was now “in tatters”, the PM said it wasn’t.

But in a clear dig at the president, he suggested the war broke international law – and was started with no plan on how to end it.

Starmer said: “I’ve acted as you would expect of a British prime minister, which is by being absolutely focused on what is our national interest, and that’s why I’ve applied my principles and my values throughout.

“And my principles and values made sure that our decisions were that we wouldn’t get involved in the action without a lawful basis, without a viable, thought-through plan.

“That was the right position for the United Kingdom, and of course, that has included us taking action, collective self-defence.”

He added: “I’m the British prime minister. I act in the British national interest, but nothing, but nothing, is going to deflect me from that.”

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