Trump’s slur against British troops is a new low for the US president

The loud applause for Dame Emily Thornberry’s outspoken attack on Donald Trump for accusing British soldiers of avoiding the Afghan war front line on BBC Question Time said it all.

“How DARE he?” she said, her voice quaking with emotion as she accused him of “insulting” the families of the 457 British troops killed in Afghanistan in support of America after the 9/11 terror attack on the US in 2001. All this from a man who had never seen military action himself and avoided the Vietnam War draft, she declared.

Dame Emily spoke for us all. While Donald Trump has never been as popular in Britain as he is in the US, there is no denying he has always had his fans on this side of the Atlantic. Even when he has made totally outrageous comments, there are those in the UK ready to defend him and who refuse to take offence. Judge him by his deeds, not his rhetoric, they say. Sometimes they have a point.

That surely has ended with Trump’s shocking, offensive and unwarranted slur on the brave and distinguished record of British troops in Afghanistan. His claim that they were “a little off the front line” has been met with universal condemnation, as evidenced by huge support for Dame Emily’s comments, which went viral on social media.

Trump’s UK fan club is silent, prompting some to question whether his standing has been permanently damaged in the UK and elsewhere. For once, Labour, Conservatives, Reform and the Lib Dems are united in their attacks on Trump.

Downing Street said Mr Trump had “diminished” the role of Nato service personnel in Afghanistan. Kemi Badenoch has spoken up for Mr Trump more than once, and did so this week when he attacked Keir Starmer for his deal with Mauritius over control of the Chagos Islands. But the Tory leader had no truck with Trump’s remarks about Britain’s soldiers in Afghanistan, calling it “flat-out nonsense”.

She said: “British, Canadian, and Nato troops fought and died alongside the US for 20 years. This is a fact, not opinion. Their sacrifice deserves respect not denigration.” Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: “457 British troops lost their lives in Afghanistan. Trump avoided military service five times. How dare he question their sacrifice.” Former cabinet minister Robert Jenrick, who defected to Reform last week, said the comments were “offensive and wrong”.

For Labour, defence secretary John Healey said British troops who died in Afghanistan should be remembered as “heroes who gave their lives in service of our nation”.

Contrary to Mr Trump’s claim that the US could not rely on other Nato members like the UK to defend it in a crisis, Mr Healey pointed out that they had “answered the call” in the Afghan war.

It was the only time that Nato’s Article 5, which commits all members to defend any individual nation that comes under attack, had been triggered, said Mr Healey – and it was in defence of the US. The criticism of President Trump has been supported by families of British soldiers who died, by those left with appalling injuries and by military leaders.

And the British chorus of disapproval has been echoed far and wide, including in many of the 23 other European Nato countries, in addition to Canada who also sent soldiers to the Afghan front line.

A total of 1,025 servicemen and women from those nations were killed in Afghanistan while supporting the US. They include 43 from little Denmark, the nation that Greenland belongs to, and was threatened by invasion by Mr Trump. In fact, Denmark’s sacrifice of lives in Afghanistan was proportionally one of the highest of all Nato countries. Relative to the size of its population it lost the same number of troops as America: eight per million.

If Donald Trump wants to repair the lasting damage to his reputation, or had any humility or integrity, he would apologise to the loved ones of all 1,025. If he does not – and I’m not holding my breath – they and many others will never forgive him. Nor should they.