Keir Starmer stands by foreign secretary who called Donald Trump a ‘neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath’
Prime minister tackled over David Lammy’s comments by new Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir Keir Starmer has defended his foreign secretary David Lammy, who in the past called Donald Trump a “neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath”.
Mr Lammy will remain in his post until the next election, Downing Street said on Wednesday just hours after Mr Trump’s victory was secured.
The vote of confidence came after the prime minister was asked to apologise for his frontbencher’s attack in an article written when he was a backbench MP in 2018.
A year earlier Mr Lammy also tweeted: “Yes, if Trump comes to the UK I will be out protesting on the streets. He is a racist KKK and Nazi sympathiser.”
Mr Lammy has sought to build links with the Trump regime since becoming foreign secretary, but the election result has shone a new spotlight on his comments, prompting questions about his ability to work with the next US president.
In the same article in 2018, the Tottenham MP wrote about Mr Trump’s first official visit to the UK, saying that he would be protesting against the then-government’s “capitulation to this tyrant in a toupee”.
“Trump is not only a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath,” he wrote, “he is also a profound threat to the international order that has been the foundation of Western progress for so long.”
The prime minister came under pressure over the comments at Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons from the new Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.
Referring to a dinner between the PM, Mr Lammy and Mr Trump in September, she asked: “Did the foreign secretary take that opportunity to apologise for making derogatory and scatological references, including, and I quote, ‘Trump is not only a woman-hating Neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath, he is also a profound threat to the international order’, and if he did not apologise, will the prime minister do so now on his behalf?”
Sir Keir dodged the question, saying that the meeting had been “very constructive”.
Earlier this year Mr Lammy defended calling Mr Trump a neo-Nazi sociopath, saying all politicians had something to say about him “back in the day”.
He also said he had met Mr Trump’s vice-president JD Vance and that the two men had “common ground”.
“We’re both from poor backgrounds, both suffered from addiction issues in our family which we’ve written about... both of us [are] Christians. And now I’ve met him on a few occasions, and we have been able to find common ground and get on,” he said.
Sir Keir opened PMQs by congratulating the president-elect on his victory.
He added: “As the closest of allies, the UK and US will continue to work together to protect our shared values of freedom and democracy.
“And having had dinner with president-elect Trump just a few weeks ago, I look forward to working with him in the years to come.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments