Westminster is digesting a diplomatic tremor. Donald Trump has told the BBC that Benjamin Netanyahu “acted alone” in the recent escalation. The former president’s words were not a slip. They were a deliberate signal. A clearing of the decks.
UK intelligence sources are now racing to assess the fallout. The phrase “acted alone” is carefully chosen. It implies a breakdown in the US-Israel channel. It suggests Trump is distancing himself from a decision that could have regional consequences. But here’s the rub: what did the Prime Minister know? When did he know it?
Inside the Lobby, the chatter is febrile. One senior Tory backbencher told me: “If Netanyahu went solo, then No.10 has been caught looking naive. We backed a move that wasn’t fully coordinated with Washington.” That is a problem. The government’s entire foreign policy posture rests on being the bridge between the US and Europe. If the bridge is built on sand, the whole structure wobbles.
Downing Street’s official line is terse: “We do not comment on private intelligence matters.” But private is now public. The BBC broadcast is being replayed in every Whitehall department. The FCDO is in emergency meetings. The Joint Intelligence Committee is assessing the veracity of Trump’s claim. Is it disinformation? Or is it a genuine admission?
Either way, this is a disaster for the PM. He needs a strong relationship with whoever is in the White House. If Trump is throwing Netanyahu under the bus, the PM’s own support for Israel looks exposed. The Labour frontbench is sharpening its knives. Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy has already called for a Commons statement. The Speaker may grant an urgent question.
Let’s look at the numbers. My sources tell me the intelligence community is split. Some believe Trump is simply trying to avoid blame. Others think he is leaking a real rift. One retired MI6 officer put it bluntly: “Netanyahu is a survivor. He doesn’t act alone. He acts with a net. The question is who held the other end.”
For the Prime Minister, the calculus is brutal. He cannot admit he was blindsided. But he cannot defend a partner that the US is abandoning. The answer, likely, will be a fog of careful words. A commitment to “reviewing intelligence”. A vague assurance that “allies remain in close contact”.
But the damage is done. The narrative is now set: No.10 was out of the loop. Or worse, it was complicit in a gamble that is now backfiring. The backbenches are restless. A senior 1922 Committee member told me they have already received calls from colleagues demanding a “full accounting”.
This is the game of politics. Trump’s words are a grenade. Whitehall is scrambling to find the pin.
