Is Starmer ending his abusive relationship with Trump?

March 16, 2026·36 min·2 clips

The hosts flip the Churchill-Roosevelt analogy: this time Trump is the desperate one begging Europeans to join his war.

The episode opens with audio of Trump on Air Force One demanding that Britain and other European nations help protect the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil flows. Keir Starmer responded the same morning with a clear refusal, joined by Germany, Italy, Japan, and Luxembourg. The hosts frame this as a potential turning point in Europe's relationship with Trump. They explain that Iran can close the Strait almost instantly using drones, unmanned boats, and an estimated 5,000 mines, leaving Trump's conventional military campaign ineffective. Trump has deployed marine forces near Karg Island, home to a major Iranian oil refinery, but has not struck it. The hosts use the Churchill-Roosevelt analogy in reverse: Trump is now the desperate party begging allies to join a war he started, while Europe asks why it should be obligated to help. Countries getting oil through the Strait — India and China — are doing so with Iranian permission, meaning any nation that sides openly with America risks losing access. Iran's foreign minister appeared on CBS denying any ceasefire request and vowing to continue defending until Trump acknowledges the war is illegal. The hosts note that successive US presidents refused Israeli requests to attack Iran precisely because of these complications, and argue Trump failed to think even two steps ahead. Economically, oil has risen from roughly $70 to $106 a barrel, a near 50% increase. Starmer announced £53 million for rural households dependent on heating oil. The hosts detail wider ripple effects: fertiliser shortages threatening crop yields, food price inflation, and hundreds of mortgage products withdrawn by banks recalibrating interest rate expectations. The term 'Trumpflation' is gaining traction in trade union and media circles. The Daily Telegraph, whose core readership includes rural landowners and farmers, ran a piece headlined 'Trump's greatest miscalculation,' signalling a shift on the British right. Rachel Reeves, asked in a quickfire interview to choose between Trump and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, answered without hesitation — a contrast with the hedging of six months ago. The hosts argue Starmer's 'superpower' is deliberate boringness: a calm, numbered-point approach that reassures a public frightened by chaos. Pat McFadden's use of the word 'navigate' to describe the UK-US relationship is parsed as diplomatic language reserved for adversaries, not friends. The hosts reflect on the NATO summit in The Hague the previous June, where European leaders competed to please Trump and Mark Rutte reportedly called him 'daddy,' contrasting that mood with the current refusals. They question what NATO's purpose is if it becomes associated with offensive wars rather than collective defence. Trump's FCC chair Brendan Carr issued a weekend statement warning broadcasters to support the president or face licence reviews, which the hosts compare directly to Iranian media repression. Pete Hegseth also attacked journalists for focusing on the deaths of 13 American service members. The hosts close by noting that Trump now appears to conduct media relations by taking individual phone calls from journalists rather than formal press conferences, describing it as 'eccentric autocrat land.'

As heard by us

A sharp take on Trump's demand, Starmer's refusal, and why the Strait of Hormuz matters.

It follows Trump's demand that Britain and other European countries help keep the Strait of Hormuz open, then places Starmer's reply beside it: protect people in the region, defend Britain and its allies, but avoid being pulled into a wider war.

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Why you'd press play

Starmer says no while Trump pushes the Strait of Hormuz.

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