Sir Keir Starmer has described President Donald Trump's remarks about British troops in Afghanistan as 'insulting and frankly appalling'.

On Thursday, Trump said that US allies stayed 'a little off the front lines' in the conflict and claimed he was not sure NATO 'would be there' if the US needed it.

Starmer said if he himself had 'mispoken in that way', he would 'certainly apologise'.

Trump's words sparked international outrage as the UK and other nations joined the US in Afghanistan after NATO's collective security clause was invoked following the 9/11 attacks. During the conflict, 457 British service personnel were killed.

I will never forget their courage, their bravery and the sacrifice they made for their country, Starmer said. There were many also who were injured, some with life-changing injuries. I consider President Trump's remarks to be insulting and frankly appalling and I am not surprised they have caused such hurt to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured and, in fact, across the country.

Starmer was reacting to an interview Trump gave to Fox News where he said: We've never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them. They'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan... and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.

Trump's comments drew condemnation from across the UK's political divide, with critics pointing to the number of UK deaths in Afghanistan and highlighting Trump's avoidance of military service in Vietnam. The only time NATO's mutual defense arrangement was invoked was after the terrorist attacks on America in September 2001.

The UK suffered the second-highest number of military deaths in the conflict behind the US, which saw 2,461 fatalities. More than 3,500 coalition soldiers had died, about two-thirds of them Americans, as of 2021 when the US withdrew from the country.

During his second term in office, Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO, often accusing its member states of not spending enough on defense. The White House has so far released a statement endorsing Trump’s stance on NATO but has not responded to Starmer's call for an apology.