Back to News
Backing Ukraine, staying out of Iran and riding the Trump rollercoaster: how Starmer handled foreign affairs
UK NewsPolitics•June 22, 2026 at 6:52 PMNational

Backing Ukraine, staying out of Iran and riding the Trump rollercoaster: how Starmer handled foreign affairs

By Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor•The Guardian - UK News

Analysts say foreign policy was an ‘area of relative strength’ for the prime minister – but goodwill with the White House soon evaporatedKeir Starmer inherited two wars and a country disconnected from the EU when he arrived in Downing Street – and that was before Donald Trump crash-landed at the White House and undermined the foundations of the UK’s most important alliance.It was a context that would have tested any prime minister, though in many respects Starmer negotiated it carefully. But longer-term questions of Britain’s security remain unresolved, and the UK’s place in the world is less certain. Continue reading...

Analysts say foreign policy was an ‘area of relative strength’ for the prime minister – but goodwill with the White House soon evaporated

Keir Starmer inherited two wars and a country disconnected from the EU when he arrived in Downing Street – and that was before Donald Trump crash-landed at the White House and undermined the foundations of the UK’s most important alliance.

It was a context that would have tested any prime minister, though in many respects Starmer negotiated it carefully. But longer-term questions of Britain’s security remain unresolved, and the UK’s place in the world is less certain.

Continue reading...