Keir Starmer has said America and Israel’s bombing of Iran is “not our war” as he defending his approach to the conflict.

In comments which risk further angering Donald Trump, the prime minister said the UK is “not getting dragged into” the war, despite giving US jets permission to fly their missions from RAF bases.

He also repeated his claim that there is no “lawful basis” for Trump’s war or “a viable and thought-through plan” for what comes next.

His comments, while giving evidence to a committee of senior MPs, came after Trump backed down over his threat to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants unless they re-open the Strait of Hormuz.

The US president said his decision followed “very good and productive conversations” with Tehran over the weekend.

Starmer said: “On Iran, the principles I’ve applied throughout is that for any UK action, there must be a lawful basis, and a viable and thought-through plan. That is why we didn’t join the original offensive strikes.

“It is why we did take defensive action, collective self-defensive action on our own behalf, when it came to the work that we are doing with our allies in the region, taking missiles out that are coming from Iran. It is also why we allowed our bases to be used for the purposes of collective self-defence.

“But that’s an important divide. So collective self-defence, yes, we’ve taken appropriate action. But this is not our war, and we are not getting dragged into this war.”

Trump has made a number of outspoken attacks on Starmer since the war began more than three weeks ago.

And on Sunday, he posted on Truth Social a Saturday Night Live UK sketch which portrayed the PM as weak, indecisive and afraid of the president.

Asked how he is personally facing the challenges posed by the unpredictable president, Starmer said: “I will remain laser-focused on what is in the British national interest.

“A lot of what is said and done is undoubtedly said and done to put pressure on me, I have no doubt about that, I understand exactly what is going on.

“But I’m not going to be wavering on this. I’m the British prime minister and my job is to be absolutely focused on what is in the British national interest.

“That has served me well in recent weeks and that is the principle that I’ll continue to adhere to going forward, taking difficult decisions, notwithstanding the pressure than comes from a number of different places.”

Donald Trump has shared a Saturday Night Live UK sketch mocking Keir Starmer.

The US president posted the skit from the new Sky UK comedy show on his Truth Social account on Sunday.

In it, Starmer is portrayed as a weak and ineffectual prime minister who is scared of the US president.

At the start of the two-and-a-half minute clip, the PM is shown at his desk in 10 Downing Street waiting on a phone call from Trump.

At one point, he says to deputy PM David Lammy: “Oh golly, but what if Donald shouts at me? What day I say Lammy?”

To laughter from the audience, Lammy replies: “Just be yourself, prime minister. Yourself is who everyone likes.”

When Trump phones and says hello, Starmer screams and slams the phone down.

He then says: “Sod that scary, scary wonderful president. Why is he so difficult to talk to?”

Later in the sketch, Starmer says: “I’m out of my depth here, Lammy. How did Liz Truss make this job look so easy?”

When told by a “Gen Z adviser” what he should do to connect with Trump, the PM says: “I’ll try anything, I’ll do anything – except make a stand.”

Trump’s decision to post the sketch to his 12 million followers is another shot across Starmer’s bows as the war in Iran continues.

The US president has been angry with the PM ever since he initially refused his request for American jets to use RAF bases to attack the country.

Starmer has since said America can use the bases, but only to launch “defensive” missions against Iranian launch sites.

Trump has repeatedly attacked the PM, saying he is “not Winston Churchill” and accusing him of acting too slowly over the conflict.

Keir Starmer has been criticised after giving the US the green light to expand their use of RAF bases to bomb Iran.

Downing Street announced that American jets will be allowed to use British bases to strike sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz.

It marks a significant shift in the government’s approach to the UK’s involvement in the war.

Starmer initially refused Donald Trump’s request to use RAF bases to bomb Iran at the start of the war.

However, the prime minister then decided to allow them to launch “defensive” missions against missile launch sites.

A Downing Street spokesman said those attacks can now be expanded as part of efforts to re-open the Strait of Hormuz, which carries around one-fifth of the global oil supply.

Its closure due to attacks by Iran on oil tankers has sent the price of oil soaring and sparked fears of a global economic crisis.

The No.10 spokesman said: ”[Ministers] confirmed that the agreement for the US to use UK bases in the collective self-defence of the region includes US defensive operations to degrade the missile sites and capabilities being used to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

“They reaffirmed that the principles behind the UK’s approach to the conflict remain the same: the UK remains committed to defending our people, our interests and our allies, acting in accordance with international law and not getting drawn into the wider conflict.

“Ministers underlined the need for urgent de-escalation and a swift resolution to the war.”

Despite the shift in the UK’s position, Trump told reporters Starmer “should have acted a lot faster”.

He said: “I’m surprised because the relationship is so good, but this has never happened before.

“They were really, pretty much our first ally, all over the world.”

Posting on X, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said the PM had performed “the mother of all U-turns”.

Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge added: “After weeks of dither and finger pointing, the prime minister has once again changed his mind and performed yet another screeching U-turn.

“The prime minister had the Navy’s only active minesweeper taken out of the Gulf a week before the war began. He dithered about sending a warship to help defend our base in Cyprus. And where we have been clear from the outset that we would have allowed our closest military ally to use our bases, Starmer has been all over the place.

“When we need strong leadership in challenging times, Starmer is weak and indecisive.”

A Green Party source said: “It is now beyond obvious Britain is involved in an offensive bombing campaign in Iran.

“Starmer has gone against our warnings, the public’s clearly stated opinion, and international law, and involved the UK in yet another illegal Middle East war. Starmer has learned nothing from the tragedy of Iraq.”

Donald Trump has blamed Keir Starmer for the breakdown in UK-US relations in yet another bizarre rant.

The US president said the two countries got on well “until Keir came along” as he once again hit out at the prime minister’s response to the Iran war.

Trump also repeated his observation that Starmer is “not Winston Churchill” as he pointed at a bust of the wartime leader in the Oval Office.

It is the latest in a succession of attacks on Starmer by the president since America and Israel started bombing Iran more than a fortnight ago.

He has made clear his anger that the PM initially refused his request for American jets to use RAF bases to launch their missions.

Trump has also accused Britain of turning down a request to send two aircraft carriers to the Gulf – a claim which has been denied by senior government sources.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, he said: “We have a tremendous, long-term relationship with the UK. It’s the oldest, the longest. Should be the best. Always was the best until Keir came along.”

He also attacked the Labour government’s policies on immigration and shifting from fossil fuels to green energy.

Asked if he had confidence in the prime minister, Trump said: “It’s not for me, it’s really for the people of the UK to have confidence.

“I mean, I’ve been very critical of Keir – and I did it in a friendly way – I said, if you don’t change your energy thing and get away from windmills and go back to oil and gas.

“You have something that no other country has, very few countries have anything like it: the North Sea.

“You have some of the greatest oil and oil deposits in the entire world. The North Sea, they don’t use it.”

He added: “I think he’s a nice man, but I disagree with him on two things.

“Primarily his immigration policy is a disaster, and his energy policy is a disaster – and they’re about the biggest policies you can have.

“You’ve allowed millions and millions and millions of people to come into your country that shouldn’t be there. And, by the way, that’s all over Europe.

Downing Street has been asked to respond to the president’s latest comments.

Meanwhile, Kemi Badenoch has slammed Trump for his “childish” attacks on Starmer.

She said she found Trump’s remarks “quite shocking”.

“I’m Keir Starmer’s biggest critic, I think he does a lot of things wrong, I think on this he’s been quite slow.

“I think it’s quite childish as well, a war of words between the White House and Downing Street.”