‘He’s no Winston Churchill’: why Starmer can shrug off Trump’s insults over Iran
It was perhaps the most attention-grabbing moment of prime minister’s questions.Responding to yet another Conservative salvo about his approach to Iran and how it might affect ties with America, Keir Starmer was direct.“American planes are operating out of British bases – that is the special relationship in action,” he said.“Sharing intelligence every day to keep our people safe – that is the special relationship in action.Hanging on to President Trump’s latest words is not the special relationship in action.
”And certainly in the last few days, hanging on to and then endlessly, painfully analysing Trump’s ever-changing opinions has become even more of a national pursuit than it was before,On Monday, the US president told the Daily Telegraph that Starmer “took far too long” to allow US forces to use UK airbases,Speaking to the Sun on Tuesday, Trump said the prime minister “has not been helpful”,Later that day he commented witheringly about Starmer to reporters: “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with,”In previous eras, such criticism from a US president, particularly in so concentrated a volley, would prompt mass soul-searching in Downing Street and the Foreign Office, where the flame of the so-called special relationship with Washington still flickers.
But for now, as demonstrated at PMQs, Starmer is, if not completely sanguine about Trump’s comments, then certainly confident of his path, and for three closely interlinked reasons,The first is the modern-day diplomatic truism that, much as with the old joke about the British weather, if you dislike Trump’s opinion on something then don’t worry, just wait a bit and something very different will come along in its place,Starmer was no more than politely pleased and privately baffled by Trump’s previous declarations of affection for him, taking in everything from Starmer’s political judgment to his “beautiful” accent,No US president in history has been as prolific or wayward in his public utterances, and other world leaders have long learned to essentially ignore much of what he says, generally waiting to see if it is backed by any kind of action,Secondly, No 10 knows full well that while Kemi Badenoch and her colleagues might lambast the government for not signing up to the US-Israeli attack on Iran from the very start, public opinion tends to be more on the side of Starmer.
YouGov polling on Monday showed fairly strong opposition to the overall US operation in Iran, with opinion also slightly against even allowing US aircraft to use British bases to attack the country.Finally, there is some quiet frustration inside No 10 at the way Starmer’s decisions over Iran have been portrayed and analysed entirely through the prism of Trump-management.“It is clear that the prime minister is acting in the British interest, and to protect British people,” one said.“That is why he has taken the action that he has.”That is perhaps a slight if understandable oversimplification.
Downing Street has been happy to take Trump’s praise in the past, along with wider compliments for Starmer as an adept diplomatic performer, someone who could, in the words of one minister, act as a bridge between the US and Europe.Starmer has fully played his part in buttering up his erratic counterpart, arriving at his first White House visit with a letter from King Charles proposing an unprecedented second state visit.For all that Trump is portrayed as transactional, the UK approach is very clearly done in the hope of acquiring tangible benefits, most notably the success in avoiding some of Trump’s regime of tariffs.There are nonetheless some red lines.Downing Street has condemned Trump over the US president’s repeated and inaccurate criticisms of Sadiq Khan and how the London mayor has supposedly allowed unrestricted migration to destroy the city.
Most obviously, in January Starmer rebuked Trump over his comments that British soldiers in Afghanistan avoided the frontline.The PM called these “insulting and frankly appalling” remarks, and suggested Trump should apologise.As a diplomatic stance it is coherent, if not always comfortable and, by the standards of previous eras, often unorthodox.But this is the world in which every other US ally also operates, and as yet none has found a way to keep Trump onside all the time.This is mass endeavour, and a shared burden.
£25 for a cookie? What the baffling luxury bakery boom tells us about Britain
Amid a cost of living crisis, pricey patisserie is all the rage – and not just in London. Our reporter goes on a crawl to find out if a tart can really be worth £45There was a time when you could get a stuffed vanilla cream slice or a neon-pink Tottenham cake for about £1 on the leafy, residential corner of Hackney, east London, where I stand today. But the branch of Percy Ingle bakery that was here for nearly 50 years is gone. In its place sits Fika, a cafe where a cinnamon bun costs £4.20 and a pistachio croissant will set you back nearly £5
Stuffed peppers and aubergine dip: Sami Tamimi’s recipes for savoury Palestinian snacks
I still remember, when I was a kid, the end of spring and early summer when markets in Jerusalem and across Palestine overflowed with freshly harvested freekeh. As you approached, the air carried a smoky, earthy aroma. Freekeh is an ancient grain, a staple across the Middle East and Turkey, made from green wheat roasted over open fires to burn off the husks, which gives it the characteristic nutty flavour. The name comes from the Arabic freek, meaning “to rub”, which describes how the grains are cleaned, dried, cracked and stored for the year.Throughout the Middle East and Palestine, mahashi (stuffing vegetables) is a true labour of love, creating dishes that are designed to be shared
Australian supermarket muesli bars taste test: the worst is ‘both dry and moist’
During a blind taste test of 19 muesli bars, for the first time in his life Nicholas Jordan asks: ‘Is this too much cinnamon?’Get our weekend culture and lifestyle emailIf you value our independent journalism, we hope you’ll consider supporting us todayI have a long history with muesli. Muesli bars were a recess staple during my school years. As a uni student, I made muesli in 20kg batches and sold it from my sharehouse back yard like a drug dealer. In lockdown, I started an Instagram account where I would review and rate a different muesli every three or four days (I am the only contributor to the hashtag #mueslireviewsli). Even before this taste test, I would guess that I’ve tried more than 80% of all the muesli and muesli bar brands available in my area
Why do my potatoes go black after cooking? | Kitchen aide
Why do some potatoes turn black on cooking, and how do I stop this happening? I usually leave them to cool in the cooking water, but should I plunge them in cold water instead?”Jean, Hampshire“We’ve all been there,” sympathises spud queen Poppy O’Toole. “It’s a harmless chemical reaction,” the author of The Potato Book continues, “but it looks rank and only gets worse with the slow cooling process that Jean’s using.” But let’s wind things back for a moment. According to the food science guru Harold McGee, in his bible On Food & Cooking, the darkening of cooked potatoes “is caused by the combination of iron ions, a phenolic substance [chlorogenic acid] and oxygen, which react to form a pigmented complex”. So what’s the solution? Make the pH of the water “distinctly acidic”, which McGee does by adding cream of tartar or lemon juice “after the potatoes are half-cooked”
‘Where the magic really happens’: the influencers out to celebrate – and save – Britain’s ‘proper boozers’
The Calthorpe Arms on Gray’s Inn Road is a fairly atypical central London pub. With patterned red carpets, brass fittings, leather bar stools, a pool table and Christmas tinsel still hanging in early February, it feels very much a “local”, although on a Thursday evening it’s busy with the post-work crowd.It’s the fifth time Niall Walsh, who works nearby and runs the Proper Boozers Instagram account, has visited in recent months. “It’s just off the beaten track, but easy to get to,” Walsh says over a pint of Harvey’s. “You can get a real, authentic pub experience
Stuffed battered chillies and chilli cheese toasties: Maunika Gowardhan’s favourite Holi snacks – recipes
Celebrate Holi, the festival of colours and the arrival of spring, with sumptuous, delicious and addictive snacks. The bharwa mirchi pakode ki chaat is full of flavour and topped with tamarind, green chutney and chaat masala. Alongside it, a street-food favourite from my home town of Mumbai: the classic chilli cheese toastie stuffed with potato, peppers and green chutney. Both are the sort of dishes you can eat at any time of day, and the unifying ingredient is the humble potato, which I feel is the backbone of Indian cooking, be it in curries, stir-fries, flatbreads, snacks and even raitas.I’d happily eat this delicious street-food classic on any day of the week
Badenoch gives a borderline disgraceful performance at PMQs on Iran | John Crace
‘He’s no Winston Churchill’: why Starmer can shrug off Trump’s insults over Iran
Andy Burnham criticises ‘bankruptcy’ of Labour approach to campaigning
Labour MP says she had no reason to suspect her husband may have broken law after his arrest on suspicion of spying for China – as it happened
Ex-Nato commander defends Starmer after Trump’s ‘no Winston Churchill’ jibe
MPs say Starmer’s UK-EU reset lacks ‘direction, definition and drive’