‘Irresponsible’ not to build relations with Viktor Orbán’s Hungarian government, cabinet minister says

Cabinet minister Kwasi Kwarteng has insisted it would be “irresponsible” not to build relations with the right-wing leader Viktor Orbán and the Hungarian government.

Amid criticism over the autocrat’s visit to No 10 later today — one of the first EU leaders invited by Boris Johnson to visit since Brexit — the business secretary stressed the need to “engage” with the bloc’s member states.

Lisa Nandy, the shadow foreign secretary, yesterday highlighted Mr Orbán’s scapegoating of minorities, including decrying “Muslim invaders”, using antisemitic tropes in political campaigns, and undermining democracy.

“Will Boris Johnson challenge the Hungarian PM on his appalling track record?” the Labour frontbencher asked. “I wouldn’t hold my breath”.

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Kwarteng said, however, that he did not “endorse” the views of the Hungarian leader, who has also previously described migrants as “a poison”.

“As a leader, as politicians, people in cabinet, people with responsibility, we have to speak to all sorts of people, all sorts of leaders across the world whose values we don’t necessarily share,” he said.

“I think Viktor Orbán’s views on migrants are things that I would not endorse in any way. Having said that I think we have to engage with the EU, he’s an EU leader, Hungary is an EU country, we’re part of the EU”.

He added: “In this post-Brexit world I think it’s absolutely right for us to be building bilateral relations with countries in the former EU, I think it’s completely reasonable to do that.

“Not to do so I think would be irresponsible — so it’s a diplomatic relationship we want to develop, we want to talk to European leaders and it’s absolutely right the prime minister does that.”

On Thursday, the prime minister’s official spokesman said the government “does not shy away” from raising human rights issued, and said Mr Johnson had previously “condemned” Mr Orbán’s comments on migrants as “divisive and wrong”.

However, they defended the visit, saying: “As president of the Visegrad group of Central European nations later this year, cooperation with Hungary is vital to the UK’s prosperity and security.” He said the meeting would “promote UK interests in these areas and discuss issues in the wider region”.

Left-wing Labour MP Zarah Sultana argued Mr Orban should “not be welcomed here”, saying: “His antisemitism, Islamophobia attacks on migrants and other minorities must be challenged”.

“I urge you to cancel the plan to welcome him to Britain,” she said in a letter to the prime minister on Thursday. “He should instead be challenged for his long and shameful record.”

Posting on Twitter, the director of the Chatham House think-tank added: “Viktor Orban is the first EU leader Boris Johnson will host after Irish PM [Micheál] Martin.

“Given Orban’s record of hollowing out Hungarian democracy & close relations [with] Putin, the visit calls into question the values Johnson says Global Britain stands for. Britain look small instead.”