Gordon Brown: Why the UK must stand up to Trump

Speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Friday, the former prime minister said the Trump administration would go down as “the most corrupt in history”.

In a blunt critique of America’s foreign policies, Mr Brown referenced the strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh primary in Minab in February, which killed 156 people, including 120 schoolgirls.

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Mr Trump initially blamed the bombing, at the start of the Iran war, on Iran itself before suggesting it was an accident.

“But he has never admitted US responsibility,” the former MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath said.

“Now this is breaking every single protocol, law, convention about the conduct of war.

“The laws of warfare show that you can't justify this kind of this kind of activity as self-defence or in any way under the rules of war.

Every rule of law, he added, “the Trump administration has broken”.

Mr Brown went on to criticise the US president for running his government on “arbitrary, personalised rule” and joked, having renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, “Trump will probably be renaming Scotland soon as Trump Town”.

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“The history books will say this has been the most corrupt American administration in history, and I think we've got to stand up and say we support a rules-based order,” he added.

At the start of the Iran war, Mr Trump “put out a tweet saying ‘a whole civilisation will die tonight’ and then he had another one saying Iran is going to go back to the Stone Age.

“That is a threat of genocide.”

He said the British government must stand up for a rules-based order not allow “our friendship with America” to prevent the country from “saying what is right”.

Mr Brown also said Ukraine is facing its “worst winter” since the conflict with Russian began, and called for Britain and other nations to press Mr Trump to do more to help the Eastern European nation.

Meanwhile, Mr Brown said the UK could tackle the cost of living crisis and boost economic growth by harnessing the country’s success in innovation.

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Referencing “medical genius”, information technology, AI output, environmental technologies and creative arts, the former PM said Britain is first globally for research output per head of population.

Yet, he added: “We somehow have not been able to turn what is successful innovation into products and processes that create jobs, sell to the world, and make people better off.

“And I keep saying to the government we should concentrate on where we can be innovative and make a difference in leading the world.

“The huge technology we lead on, we’ve got to find a way of turning that into successful companies and successful jobs - the long term way that Britain can do better is that we are the innovation nation.”

He said current prime minister Andy Burnham “is going to speak about this in the next few weeks”.

“I wouldn't be depressed about Britain,” Mr Brown said. “It's a hopeful message.

“Innovation is there. That's what the world is looking for.”