US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has mocked British aircraft carriers as "toys" and told the UK "don't bother, we don't need it," in his latest broadside against Nato allies over their limited involvement in joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, according to the Guardian.
Speaking at the White House on Thursday (26), Trump said he was "very disappointed" with Nato partners, singling out Britain for particular criticism.
"We had the UK say, this is three weeks ago, 'we'll send our aircraft carriers', which aren't the best aircraft carriers, by the way," Trump said, according to the newspaper.
"They're toys compared to what we have. But 'we'll send our aircraft carrier when the war is over'. I said: 'Oh that's wonderful, thank you very much. Don't bother. We don't need it.'"
Trump has previously claimed he had requested two aircraft carriers from Britain and that Keir Starmer initially rejected the offer before agreeing to send them. Downing Street has denied that any such request was made or refused.
The prime minister has said he will not permit UK bases to be used for offensive strikes against Iran, though bases including Diego Garcia on the Chagos Islands may be used for defensive purposes to counter Iranian retaliation.
The UK has already deployed HMS Dragon to the eastern Mediterranean following the launch of an Iranian-made missile from Lebanon towards the RAF base in Cyprus.
British officials are also understood to be considering deploying a Royal Navy vessel or civilian ship to assist efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where the closure of the vital Gulf route is causing serious disruption to global energy supplies. The vessel would serve as a mothership for mine-clearing drones to make the strait safer for commercial shipping.
HMS Dragon sets sail from Portsmouth Harbour on March 10, 2026 in Portsmouth, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Trump also reacted dismissively to Iran firing a missile towards Diego Garcia, describing the island as one "the UK was very afraid to give us."
The Chagos Islands deal, under which Britain agreed to hand sovereignty to Mauritius while retaining a long lease, has drawn repeated criticism from the US president.
The remarks mark a further deterioration in relations between Washington and London. Earlier this week, Starmer told a parliamentary liaison committee he did not intend to respond to the president's repeated insults, saying Trump's comments were designed "to put pressure on me" and that he was "unapologetic" about remaining "utterly focused" on his job.
Trump has previously said Starmer is "not exactly Churchill" and questioned why the prime minister felt the need to consult his ministers on military decisions.
Meanwhile, Starmer travelled to Finland on Thursday for the Joint Expeditionary Force leaders' summit in Helsinki, where he warned allies against losing sight of the Russian threat amid the conflict in the Middle East.
Britain and its partners were facing "a war on two fronts," he said, adding: "The threat from Russia in the north and east has not gone away. In fact, in my view, that threat has grown."
He confirmed that the Ukrainian navy would join a Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) exercise for the first time this autumn, praising Kyiv's "unparalleled" capabilities in countering drone warfare.
The JEF is a military coalition of ten northern European nations led by the UK.
