Benjamin Netanyahu brands UK 'Islamic republic of Britain' as tensions grow

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.”

Tensions between the UK and Israel are rising after Andy Burnham’s arrival to Downing Street. The UK’s PM apologised for his party’s initial response to Mr Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza, adding that Labour must “do better”.

The Israeli PM negative comments about the UK come amid the ongoing conflict between Israel, the US and Iran, with strikes continuing on both sides and a blockade remaining in place on global shipping channel the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has hailed the US as the UK’s “closest ally” after holding talks with his counterpart in Washington.

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 in February, 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.”