Farage criticizes Starmer for blocking US use of British military bases

PALM BEACH, FL – British opposition leader Nigel Farage attacks his country’s Prime Minister for not supporting the United States in its military strikes against Iran.

“I think not supporting America when it asks for it is a pretty extraordinary thing,” Farage, the leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, said in an exclusive interview Saturday with Fox News Digital.

President Donald Trump has lambasted Labor Prime Minister Keir Starmer for initially blocking the United States from using British military bases, particularly Diego Garcia – a strategic base on an Indian Ocean island – for strikes against Iran during Operation Epic Fury. Starmer then authorized the bases to be used for “defensive strikes” after complaints from Trump.

Starmer has not spoken to Trump since their phone call last weekend, after the United States and Israel launched their strikes against Iran. The British prime minister made clear that his country would not join the United States in attacking Iran, stressing that he did not believe in “regime change from the sky.”

British Prime Minister Starmer speaks during a press conference in London. (Thomas Krych/Piscine via REUTERS)

Trump, attacking Starmer, said earlier this week: “This is not Winston Churchill we are dealing with. »

Farage criticized Starmer for not changing his position, “even now, despite the fact that we have an RAF base in Cyprus which has been attacked, we have allies in the Gulf which are under attack.”

“I think the Americans have not had full support in this endeavor. And I think the British prime minister, on the world stage, has upset the Americans,” Farage said. “He’s upset the Cypriots. He’s upset the Gulf states. And he’s pretty friendless right now.”

THEY WANT TO DESTROY AMERICA: REPUBLICAN SENATORS CAN ON ATTACK ON IRAN

Farage, who seven years ago founded the populist Brexit Party, which later became the Reform UK party, was interviewed ahead of his appearance at an annual economic conference in Florida organized by the Club for Growth, an influential and politically powerful policy group that campaigns for fiscal responsibility.

Starmer feels Trump’s anger not only over their differences over the attack on Iran, but also over Britain’s deal to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, the Indian Ocean archipelago where Diego Garcia is located, to Mauritius. Starmer argued his leaseback deal was the only way to secure the Anglo-American Diego Garcia military base.

Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos Archipelago and site of a major US military base in the middle of the Indian Ocean, leased to the United Kingdom in 1966. (Reuters)

Farage, who clearly opposed the deal, told Fox News Digital that “outside of America itself,” Diego Garcia “is the most important base you have in the whole world.”

“If Trump initially had problems with the British over the use of the base, imagine what will happen with the Mauritians who are heavily influenced by China. They have already said that they think America should not have hit Iran, that it goes against international law, and then they call for a ceasefire,” Farage said.

NATO CHIEF PRAISES TRUMP’S STRIKES IN IRAN, DECLARES MAJOR ALLIES ‘ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL’

Farage, who said his opposition to the deal was a key factor during his weekend in the United States, said: “I just urge the president and this administration to stand firm. Tell the British government that you will not agree to cede sovereignty to Mauritius and let’s secure a future for Diego Garcia. I think it’s really important.

Farage, who hopes to become Britain’s next prime minister, claimed the relationship between Starmer and Trump was beyond repair.

President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pose for a photo during a summit of world leaders on ending the war in Gaza, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt October 13, 2025. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/Pool (REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/Pool)

“I think the personal relationship between Keir Starmer and Donald Trump is over. I mean, Trump can forgive, but, you know, it would take a long time. So I think that breakdown is there,” he said.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

But when it came to the two countries’ long-standing ties, known as the “special relationship”, Farage was more optimistic.

“This special relationship has had some difficult times in the past. We had a massive fallout 70 years ago over Suez, but we got back together. I am confident it can and will be repaired,” he predicted.