Sir Keir Starmer condemned Donald Trump’s comments as “insulting and frankly appalling” after the US President made remarks disparaging British troops who served in Afghanistan.
The UK Prime Minister said Mr Trump should apologise for comments made in a television interview that downplayed Nato’s role in the conflict and intensified already strained transatlantic relations.
Anger spread among politicians and veterans after the president claimed on Fox News that Nato forces, including British troops, remained “a little off the front lines.”
In reality, 457 British service personnel were killed in Afghanistan while fighting alongside US forces, with many more suffering life-changing injuries. The remarks followed a week of disputes between the president and Nato allies, including the UK, over his controversial demand that Greenland be brought under US control.
Speaking in Downing Street, Sir Keir said the comments had caused deep hurt to bereaved families and the wider country, adding that he would apologise if he had spoken in such a way. He was responding to criticism from Diane Dernie, whose son Ben Parkinson was severely injured in the war, after she urged the Prime Minister to stand up for Britain and rejected any suggestion that troops were far from danger.
President Trump in one of his trademark poses
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