Wes Streeting slapped down Donald Trump over his handling of the Iran war today as the Transatlantic 'special relationship' continued to fray.
The Health Secretary said Keir Starmer's decision to keep Britain out of the conflict was being vindicated every day, after the president's latest broadside at the Prime Minister.
Trump used a White House appearance featuring a giant Easter Bunny to compare Sir Keir to Neville Chamberlain, the former prime minister now mostly remembered for his policy of appeasement towards Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
In recent weeks he has repeatedly attacked the PM, the UK's military and other Nato allies for refusing to help with the Iran conflict, with energy prices being sent sky high by the closure of the Straits of Hormuz.
Speaking to Sky News this morning, Mr Streeting said Sir Keir deserved 'enormous credit' for refusing to join the attack.
'There has not been a single day that has passed in this war with Iran where I have not felt that the PM has been entirely vindicated for his judgement in keep Britain out of the war in Iran,' he added.
He also said the US has to 'justify it actions' if, as Trump has threatened, it targets Iranian civilian infrastructure - something experts say could constitute a war crime.
The Health Secretary said Keir Starmer's decision to keep Britain out of the conflict was being vindicated every day, after the president's latest broadside at the Prime Minister
Trump used a White House appearance featuring a giant Easter Bunny to compare Sir Keir to Neville Chamberlain
Discussing the Iran conflict Trump told reporters the UK had 'a long way to go'.
Although it is unclear what he was referring to, he added: 'We won't want another Neville Chamberlain, do we agree? We don't want Neville Chamberlain.'
It comes as the King prepares to carry out a state visit as part of celebrations to mark 250 years since the US declared independence from Britain, despite calls from some politicians for the trip to be cancelled.
Sir Keir has said he will not 'buckle under pressure' or allow the UK to get 'dragged into the war', which has now entered its sixth week.
During Monday’s event, Mr Trump repeated his threat to bomb Iran’s civilian infrastructure if Tehran does not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
He also claimed to have already achieved ‘regime change’ by killing Iran’s previous leaders, including the former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
He said: ‘The people we are negotiating with now on behalf of Iran are much more reasonable.’
But some experts have claimed that removing the previous ayatollah has seen a more hardline group take charge in Tehran.
Chamberlain, who was PM from 1937 to 1940, is mostly remembered for his policy of appeasement towards Nazi Germany in the late 1930s
Meanwhile, the UK Government has said it will not take part in offensive operations against Iran after Mr Trump's threat to attack power plants and bridges.
The president made his threat in an expletive-laden social media post on Sunday, setting a deadline of 8pm US time on Tuesday (1am on Wednesday UK time) for Iran to open the strait.
Mr Trump's message sparked accusations that the president was threatening to commit war crimes.