Keir Starmer’s pitch perfect response to JD Vance didn’t even mention the American VP by name and was all the better for it

John Plunkett. Updated March 5th, 2025

You will already know by now the big bucket of opprobrium that was poured on JD Vance after the American vice president appeared to refer to the UK (and France) as a ‘random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 years’.

Bad news for Starmer and Macron. Vance confirms the only US security guarantee in Ukraine will be the mineral deal. He also plays down British & French peacekeeping troops as “20k troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years”.pic.twitter.com/6bujpsjygX

— Antonello Guerrera (@antoguerrera) March 4, 2025

Vance later frantically backtracked, saying he wasn’t actually referring to any country in particular.

This is absurdly dishonest.

I don’t even mention the UK or France in the clip, both of whom have fought bravely alongside the US over the last 20 years, and beyond. https://t.co/hrkb5pTV8p

— JD Vance (@JDVance) March 4, 2025

But if he wasn’t talking about the UK and France in this context, then who was he talking about? No answers were forthcoming, obviously).

And we mention it again because Sir Keir Starmer, whose productive meeting with Vance’s boss last week has now been rather put in the shade, had what looked like the perfect riposte for the American VP at PMQs today.

And it was even classier because it didn’t mention Vance by name.

Keir Starmer: “Across the wars in Afghanistan & Iraq 642 individuals died fighting for Britain alongside our allies.”#PMQs pic.twitter.com/6pFd9wmLmv

— Haggis_UK (@Haggis_UK) March 5, 2025

Bravo, PM.

Vance might not have been at the forefront of Stormer’s mind when he said it, but he was definitely in there somewhere.

Keir Starmer kicks off #PMQs by remembering the 642 British military personnel who “died fighting for Britain, alongside our allies” in Iraq and Afghanistan. “We will never forget their bravery and their sacrifice”. A pointed rebuke of JD Vance’s comments.

— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) March 5, 2025

“Across wars in Afghanistan and Irak 642 British soldiers died and many wounded fighting for Britain alongside our allies”

A very public rebuke in Parliament by Starmer to @JDVance and his comments yesterday about “random countries who hadn’t fought a war in decades” #PMQs pic.twitter.com/GaX4EDaFlD

— Alex Taylor (@AlexTaylorNews) March 5, 2025

To conclude …

Classy take down by Starmer.

— Imogen (@Imogenlemon02) March 5, 2025

Source @Haggis_UK