Donald Trump has suggested Sir Keir Starmer is pandering to Muslim voters by not backing the war against Iran. A row has erupted after the Prime Minister initially refused to allow UK military bases to be used by the US in the strikes over the weekend.

In his latest comments in the war of words, Mr Trump said he is “very sad” to see that the special relationship with Britain “is obviously not what it was”. He told The Sun: “He has not been helpful. I never thought I’d see that. I never thought I’d see that from the UK. We love the UK.”

The US President added: “It’s a different world, actually. It’s just a much different kind of relationship that we’ve had with your country before.”

Asked about accusations that Sir Keir is pandering to Muslim voters for political reasons, the US President added: “It could be.”

Mr Trump admitted the Prime Minister “has got his own difficulties” after Labour, which is languishing in the polls, was defeated in the crunch Gorton and Denton by-election amid accusations of sectarian politics and family voting.

Pressed what advice he would give Sir Keir, Mr Trump said to “open up the North Sea” and “stop people from coming in from foreign lands who hate you”.

It comes after Mr Trump yesterday declared that he was “very disappointed” in Sir Keir in a humiliating public rebuke.

He said the Prime Minister took “far too long” to change his mind about the use of the UK-US Diego Garcia base.

Sir Keir gave the green light late on Sunday for the US to use British bases to target Iran’s missile launchers and stores to help protect countries targeted by Tehran.

But the PM hit back in a Commons statement, insisting his Government “does not believe in regime change from the skies”.

Reform UK Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick also said that Sir Keir Starmer’s “failure to be a reliable ally” has placed the relationship with the US “under a lot of strain”.

Speaking after Donald Trump’s comments in an interview with The Sun, Mr Jenrick told Times Radio that it is “sad” to see the “special relationship” phrased in that way.

He went on:”It’s bigger and deeper than one prime minister and one president and so I’m sure it can be built up again in the future.

“But it’s quite clear that the Prime Minister’s failure to be a reliable ally to the United States in this moment has placed it under a lot of strain, and that is a cause for concern.

“I’m actually more concerned about British interest, rather than what another leader, albeit a very important ally of ours, thinks of the United Kingdom.

“And there again, I think Starmer has got it wrong, because we’ve seen the drone attacks on our base in Cyprus, putting in danger our troops and the service families who live there.

“The Prime Minister’s response has been too slow. He should have made our bases available sooner and he should have used what military assets we have to defend that base more rigorously than he did.”