Streeting criticises Trump’s ‘incendiary, provocative, outrageous’ words on Iran

Wes Streeting has criticised Donald Trump’s “incendiary, provocative, outrageous” language amid souring trans-Atlantic ties, and said the failure of US-Iran peace talks was “disappointing”.

The Health Secretary accused the US president of using “rhetoric which people might find shocking”, but said ministers have learned to draw a distinction between what he “says and what he does”.

Mr Trump warned Tehran earlier this week that “a whole civilisation will die” if it did not meet his demands, ahead of the two countries agreeing on a ceasefire.

In another expletive-laden social media post, he threatened to obliterate Iran’s power plants and bridges if Tehran did not reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane.

Mr Streeting told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme: “Over the course of the last week, President Trump has said some pretty bold – in Yes Minister language – incendiary, provocative, outrageous things on social media.

“I think we’ve all come to learn that you judge President Trump through what he does, not just what he says.”

He said many people would have gone to bed after the American leader issued his threat “wondering what on earth would happen overnight, and woke up to a very different picture the next morning”.

The minister said: “The point I’m making is you have to distinguish between some of the rhetoric which people might find shocking, and then the reality.”

Mr Streeting also bemoaned the expectation that ministers commentate on Mr Trump’s social media outbursts, saying the depth of the historic ties mean they have to “resist the temptation however viscerally we might all react personally to some of the things he says”.

The Prime Minister last week said he would “never use those words and language like that” in response to Mr Trump’s posts on his Truth Social platform.

The Health Secretary told Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “With Keir Starmer, you get cool, calm, rational, level-headed leadership. He’s not going to be dropping the F-bomb on social media, I think it’s fair to say. He’s also not going to be drawn into being a shoot-from-the-hip commentator on social media.”

Disagreements over the Iran war, Greenland and the Chagos Islands, as well as the US president’s jibes against the UK, had “undoubtedly strained things with the Trump administration”, Mr Streeting said.

But he insisted the “deep” and “historic” US-UK relationship remains strong, saying: “This relationship is bigger than any president or prime minister.”

Asked whether the US is still the UK’s closest ally and an indispensable ally, he replied both times: “Yes.”

Washington and Iran’s 21-hour negotiations ended without a peace agreement being reached in the early hours of Sunday.

US Vice-President JD Vance left Pakistan without a deal, pointing to Iran’s refusal to commit to not build a nuclear weapon, leaving uncertainty over the shaky two-week truce.

Mr Streeting said it was “obviously disappointing that we haven’t yet seen a breakthrough in negotiations and an end to this war in Iran that is a sustainable one.

“But as ever in diplomacy, you’re failing until you succeed. So while these talks may not have ended in success, that doesn’t mean there isn’t merit in continuing to try.”

He added the wider impact of the war on the UK and other countries not involved underlines the shared interest in securing a breakthrough and ending the war.

Mr Streeting meanwhile denied the UK’s deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is dead.

A Bill to cede sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago – while leasing back the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia – is not expected to feature in the King’s Speech, which sets the agenda for the next parliamentary session.

The US had agreed to the arrangement, but Mr Trump later branded the plan “an act of great stupidity” as his relationship with Sir Keir deteriorated over their conflicting views on Greenland and the Middle East war.

The Health Secretary said: “It is fair to say there has been a shift in position in Washington.

“We’ve been clear throughout that the objective is to make sure we secure the Chagos Islands for the long term in British and American interests.

“I think there are lots of people in the US administration who understand what we’re trying to achieve, who support that objective.

“We’re working with the Americans to try and resolve that because we’ve been clear that we wouldn’t act without the Americans, because this also concerns their interests as well.”