Foreign Secretary Lammy dismisses past criticisms of Trump as ‘old news’

David Lammy, the foreign secretary, has characterized his earlier critiques of Donald Trump as “old news,” asserting his capacity to identify “common ground” with the president-elect. As a backbench MP in 2018, Lammy had labeled Trump a “tyrant” and “a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath.” However, in his initial interview following Trump’s electoral success, he informed the BBC’s Newscast podcast that the president-elect represented “someone that we can build a relationship with in our national interest.” Lammy commended Trump’s election campaign, calling it “very well run,” and further stated: “I felt in my bones that there could be a Trump presidency.” During the interview, Lammy faced questions regarding remarks he made about Trump prior to assuming the role of foreign secretary. In 2019, preceding Trump’s state visit to the UK, Lammy had also published comments online describing the then-president as “deluded, dishonest, xenophobic, narcissistic” and “no friend of Britain.” When asked if his perspective had shifted, Lammy responded that these comments were “old news,” suggesting one would “struggle to find any politician” who had not uttered “pretty ripe things” about Trump previously. He elaborated, “In that period, particularly with people on Twitter, lots of things were said about Donald Trump.” He continued, “I think that what you say as a backbencher and what you do wearing the real duty of public office are two different things.” He added, “And I am foreign secretary. There are things I know now that I didn’t know back then.” When questioned about whether Trump mentioned Lammy’s past remarks during their dinner meeting in New York in September, Lammy replied: “Not even vaguely.” He stated, “I know this is a talking point today, but in a world where there’s war in Europe, where there’s a tremendous loss of life in the Middle East, where the US and the UK genuinely have a special relationship, where we got someone who’s about to become again, the US president, who has experience of doing the job last time round, we will forge common interests.” He concluded, “We will agree and align on much and where we disagree, we’ll have those conversations as well, most often in private.” Lammy characterized the incoming president as “a very gracious host,” noting that Trump had offered him “a second portion of chicken” during their meal. During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer avoided addressing a demand from the new Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, for Lammy to issue an apology for his previous statements regarding Trump. During his Newscast interview, Lammy also addressed inquiries concerning the potential effects of Trump’s policies on trade with the UK. He depicted Trump as “warm about the UK,” particularly regarding the Royal Family, and mentioned that he “loves Scotland.” However, throughout his election campaign, Trump pledged to significantly raise taxes, or tariffs, on goods imported into the US from other countries. This action could impact British exports valued at billions of pounds, such as Scotch whisky, pharmaceutical products, and airplane parts. When questioned about whether the UK would pursue a specific trade agreement to avoid additional tariffs on British exports to the US, Lammy stated: “We will seek to ensure and to get across to the United States, and I believe that they would understand this, that hurting your closest allies cannot be in your medium or long-term interests.” Lammy further acknowledged that Trump was “correct” in his assertion that Europe had not met its defense spending obligations. He advocated for a “clear” commitment from European governments to increase military expenditure but was unable to specify when the government would achieve its goal of allocating 2.5% of GDP to defense. Lammy suggested that arranging another state visit for Trump next year would be a “tall order” because such events “take a while to organise.” State visits represent the most significant diplomatic engagements in the UK, typically featuring a state banquet hosted by the monarch and a carriage procession along the Mall. Nevertheless, Lammy indicated that the government “generally want to be generous with our American friends.” Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, who was Trump’s guest in Florida on US election night, commented that it would have been “impossible” for Lammy to “carry on” as foreign secretary had he maintained his earlier criticisms. However, Farage cautioned that the “problems” in Lammy’s rapport with Trump would stem from different matters, including “giving away the Chagos Islands, where there’s a very important US naval base.” In an interview with BBC Wales, Farage also expressed that he was “supremely confident that with the right negotiation, [the UK] can avoid” the trade tariffs proposed by Trump.