Gavin Grey: UK correspondent on Starmer and Trump speaking for the first time since Trump criticised the UK's Iran response

Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump have spoken for the first time since the US president condemned the UK's response to the Iran conflict.

Reports claim the two leaders discussed the situation in the Middle East and military cooperation between the UK and US.

UK correspondent Gavin Grey says many details of the call are unknown, but it can't have been pleasant for Starmer.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Devon Gray are UK correspondents with US Elogevin. So after
the chat on the phone, how are things between Sir
Kia and Donald Trump.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
I don't think they're very much better. We don't know
really the content of the call. I would love to
have been listening in, that's for sure. I'm sure lots
of advisors to our Prime Minister were listening in. This
is the first call, the first time that the two leaders,
Trump and Starmer have spoken since the very growing and
rather nasty spat has developed between them. I say developed

(00:32):
between them. Really it's the US President angrily criticizing the
UK's Iran response, rather than Sekir star were responding with
anything offensive or rather objectionable his way. So it has
been rather one way traffic. But we learn from Downing
Street the pair have had a phone call and this

(00:53):
was the very short, terse statement. The leaders began by
discussing the latest situation in the Middle East and the
military cooperation between the UK and US through the use
of RAF bases in support of the collective to self
defense of partners. The Prime Minister also shared his heartfelt
condolence with President Trump following the death of six US
soldiers they looked forward to speaking again soon. In other words,

(01:15):
I imagine there's an awful lot of content in there
that we simply don't know, and I can't imagine that
it was particularly plused call Fort Sekir Starmer with his
ear being bent as it were by President Trump. Either way,
the UK is said to be considering sending an air
force an aircraft carrier rather to the region to strengthen

(01:35):
its defenses there, and this ship that's supposed to be
going to protect Cypress still hasn't left port, a rather
embarrassing thing, I think for the UK, which makes it
look rather unprepared.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
Do we'd have any understanding as to why it is
that various members of Sirkia Stamer's cabinet felt it was
necessary to say no to that US request.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
I think that it was something as well kiss Arma
felt strongly about, and that is that this should have
gone to be discussed whether it's legal under international law
or not. He hasn't said it isn't within international law,
but obviously by not saying that refusing to answer it,
he feels it is. This is a man who is
a lawyer by trade, and he wants everything to be

(02:21):
done by the book. It's quite clear that they don't
believe this is done by the book. He said, we
don't believe in regime change from the skies, I think
is his most telling phrase. And after all the sort
of various words that have been said in anger and
opposition MPs and MPs from his own party having a
bit of a go at him, I think he feels
squashed between these very tough decisions. Most recently the former

(02:44):
Labour Prime Minister, in other words, from the same party,
Sir Tony Blair, who led the UK into the Iraq
War in two thousand and three, has been telling people
privately that the UK should have backed the strikes from
the beginning.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
And now, what do we know about the some terrorism
in Oslo?

Speaker 2 (03:04):
Well, we don't have it one hundred percent confirmed. But
overnight at the weekend the Norwegian capital embassy building, the
US embassy building, sustained minor damage after an explosion in
the early hours of Sunday. No one was injured. The
Norwegian authorities say they're in contact with the US diplomats
and investigation is underway. US diplomats, though have not commented.

(03:26):
It is the second attack that we know about on
an US embassy. Another one was in Iraq, but they
do believe, yep, this could have been an act of terrorism.
That's one of the lines of the investigation they're working
on and they're asking for anyone with information to come forward.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
And what's the fire in Glasgow? Huge?

Speaker 2 (03:49):
Absolutely huge and to an iconic building. It's very very
sad because really it's it's partially collapsed and I think
it's going to be pretty much unusable now. The fire
started in a vape shop on Sunday afternoon, with the
iconic and Victorian building of the Glasgow Central Station next

(04:10):
to it, and after a few hours in the flames,
much of that building has collapsed. Now it's Scotland's busiest
train station and now all trains to and from that
what's called the High Level there have been canceled and
will be closed. The station will be closed until further noticed.
So this is going to cause massive disruption. Many people

(04:31):
are being told the best way really to get anywhere
by train, particularly back down south into England, is probably
to go across to Edinburgh and then down. It's that
lad at least an hour onto their journey. It's also
a very long way round Hi.

Speaker 1 (04:46):
Thank you very much, Devin. We'll talk to you in
a couple of days. Devin Gray Ore UK corresponding.

Speaker 2 (04:50):
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