Tensions between the UK and Israel have seemingly become strained after Andy Burnham’s arrival to Downing Street.
Benjamin Netanyahu appeared in a podcast (Image: Getty)
Benjamin Netanyahu hit out at the UK in a podcast, where he branded the country the “Islamic republic of Britain“. The Israeli PM made the comments during the Melech Blitzer Haim podcast on Thursday. He also criticised the UK’s media coverage of Israel.
After praising the coverage of journalist Randolph Churchill, the son of former prime minister Winston Churchill, he said “go find that in Britain today, which you could call the Islamic Republic of Britain”. He then also said: “Someone said the first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons will be the Islamic Republic of Britain. We are making sure there won’t be another one here, in Iran.”
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Mr Netanyahu’s comments seemed to match those made in 2024 by US Vice President JD Vance, who claimed the UK would be the first “truly Islamic country that will get a nuclear weapon” at the National Conservatism Conference.
Tensions between the UK and Israel have been rising following Andy Burnham’s arrival at Downing Street. The UK’s Prime Minister apologised for his party’s initial response to Mr Netanyahu’s decisions on Gaza, adding that Labour must “do better”.
The Israeli PM negative comments about the UK come as tensions remain high in the Middle East following Operation Epic Fury launched by the US and Israel against Iran in late February.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has hailed the US as the UK’s “closest ally” after holding talks with his counterpart in Washington.
Andy Burnham (Image: Getty)
Mr Miliband was invited to the US capital by Mr Rubio after their recent first meeting on the sidelines of a foreign ministers’ summit in the Philippines last month. The pair discussed efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the Ukraine war and the situation in Gaza.
The Strait of Hormuz waterway, which had been open before the US and Israel launched the military offensive, has been a flashpoint in the Middle East conflict and disruption to trade has driven up fuel and food prices.
Mr Miliband said: “People should be in no doubt, I know, as Foreign Secretary, that the British people are worried about what’s happened to petrol prices, diesel prices, energy bills, and the single biggest thing we can do is get that ceasefire in relation to Iran.”