{"id":579604,"date":"2026-04-02T00:22:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T00:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/579604\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T00:22:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T00:22:14","slug":"keir-starmer-and-european-leaders-defy-donald-trump-as-cost-of-war-hits-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/579604\/","title":{"rendered":"Keir Starmer and European leaders defy Donald Trump as cost of war hits home"},"content":{"rendered":"

Their blue ties were fastened, their grey hair freshly swept across their heads, their glasses firmly in place.<\/p>\n

Reading prepared statements in front of flags, Britain’s Sir Keir Starmer and Australia’s Anthony Albanese addressed their respective nations within an hour of each other.<\/p>\n

Stylistically similar, they sought to reassure anxious citizens growing increasingly nervous at the extent to which a war in the Middle East was reaching into their households.<\/p>\n

Iran war live updates:<\/a> For the latest news on the Middle East conflict, read our blog.<\/p>\n

For Albanese, the hours spent foreshadowing his prime-time remarks left some wondering if the final product offered more sizzle than steak, something better suited to a social media post<\/a> instead of a rare national address.<\/p>\n

Starmer, in contrast, struck a different tone as he walked into his 10am press conference.<\/p>\n

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He again vowed his country wouldn’t be dragged into a war that wasn’t its.<\/p>\n

He resisted calls for immediate bill and bowser relief. There was no urging of workers to opt for public transport for their commute.<\/p>\n

PM urges those who can to use public transport in rare national address<\/a><\/p>\n

Anthony Albanese asks Australians to trade their cars for public transport if they can.<\/p>\n

Like Albanese, there was no acknowledging the Donald Trump-sized elephant in the room.<\/p>\n

But one thing was clear. The US president’s recent actions, including threats to walk away from the NATO defence alliance, were profoundly changing the UK’s position in the world.<\/p>\n

Starmer looks to Europe for UK future<\/p>\n

Starmer has long argued that the UK didn’t have to choose between the US and Europe.<\/p>\n

His early efforts to charm Trump were a success, forging an unlikely alliance with a president diametrically opposite to the former chief Crown prosecutor.<\/p>\n

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He wasn’t alone. World leaders fell over themselves to woo Trump, eager to stay onside with the famously fickle president.<\/p>\n

For a while there, placating Trump seemed the best approach.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Sir Keir Starmer charmed Donald Trump with an invite from the king.
\n\u00a0 (Reuters: Kevin Lamarque)<\/p>\n

The president spoke glowingly about Starmer as he brandished a letter from the king.<\/p>\n

NATO chief Mark Rutte was even willing to dub Trump NATO’s “daddy” in a bid to keep him in the tent.<\/p>\n

But as the war drags into a second month, it’s seeing leaders once firmly willing to stand by Trump suddenly emboldened enough to push back.<\/p>\n

\"Giorgia<\/p>\n

Giorgia Meloni’s government denied the US using a base in Italy for its Middle East operations.\u00a0 (Reuters: Evelyn Hockstein)<\/p>\n

It emerged this week that Italy \u2014 where Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is a close Trump ally \u2014 denied US military aircraft permission to land at an air base in Sicily.<\/p>\n

France blocked Israeli military planes from flying through its airspace, while Spain has been one of the most vocal European opponents of the war since day one.<\/p>\n

“It is increasingly clear that as the world continues down this volatile path, our long-term national interest requires closer partnership with our allies in Europe,” Starmer told reporters.<\/p>\n

He said the war had highlighted the need for the UK to “go further” in realigning with Europe.<\/p>\n

“I do think that, when it comes to defence and security, energy emissions and the economy, we need a stronger relationship with Europe.”<\/p>\n

Trump makes no secret of Starmer frustrations<\/p>\n

Trump has made no secret of his frustration with Starmer refusing to bend to his will.<\/p>\n

Starmer, in return, has avoided naming the US president directly, instead talking about the importance of US-UK ties more broadly.<\/p>\n

“Whatever the pressure on me and others, whatever the noise, I’m going to act in the British national interest in the decisions that I make,” he told reporters on Wednesday, local time.<\/p>\n

He pointed to the king’s state visit to Washington later this month as a sign of the two nations’ shared history, a relationship that has long weathered the comings and goings of prime ministers and presidents.<\/p>\n

\"Keir<\/p>\n

Sir Keir Starmer says the UK will forge closer ties with Europe.\u00a0 (Reuters: Frank Augstein)<\/p>\n

US withdrawal from NATO would be devastating for the security alliance. It’s also not as simple as Trump withdrawing the US alone; he needs congressional approval for it to happen.<\/p>\n

Leaders will lobby for Trump to stick with NATO, but begging him looks unlikely.<\/p>\n

Instead, Starmer and his European colleagues are forging ahead with their own efforts to ease the pain coming from the war.<\/p>\n

He announced the UK will convene a meeting of 35 countries later this week to explore “all viable diplomatic and political measures” to restore access in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n

Australia looks likely to be among them, while the US reportedly hasn’t been invited.<\/p>\n

It’s emblematic of a globe no longer able to rely on a US president to play the role of leader of the free world.<\/p>\n

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