Cameron talks up UK as Putin twists and shouts Proud: British Prime Minister David Cameron. British Prime Minister David Cameron has sprung to the defence of his nation after it was reported that a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin described the country as "just a small island" to which no one paid attention. Mr Cameron told the Press Association: "Britain may be a small island, but I would challenge anyone to find a country with a prouder history, a bigger heart or greater resilience." He later told a news conference "this is a country that cleared the European continent of fascism," abolished the slave trade and gave the world the musicians Edward Elgar and the Beatles.