David Lammy has dismissed the row over his past criticisms of Donald Trump as “old news”.
The foreign secretary has come under fire about his previous comments since Trump was re-elected US president this week.
During Trump’s first term in the White House, Lammy – who was a backbench Labour MP at the time – called him a “neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath”.
And when he left office in 2021, he said: “Good riddance Donald. The world is relieved to see the back of you.”
On the BBC’s Newscast podcast, the broadcaster’ political editor Chris Mason said: “April 2019 you said ‘deluded, dishonest, xenophobic, narcissistic, Donald Trump is no friend of Britain’.
“Have you changed your mind or is that still your view?”
Lammy said his past comments were “not even vaguely” mentioned when he and Keir Starmer had dinner with Trump in New York in September.
He said: “I’ve got to say I found him to be a very gracious host.”
Lammy on Trump in 2019: deluded, dishonest, xenophobic, narcissistic.
Lammy on Trump now: gracious, generous, keen to make us relaxed and comfortable, funny
Why don’t people trust politicians like David Lammy? A real mystery, I guess. pic.twitter.com/ccEtClvzBv
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) November 8, 2024
But Mason told him: “I put it to you, you are now the UK’s chief diplomat. This back catalogue of quotes matters, doesn’t it, because if he decides at some point in the future to weaponise these, to throw them back at you and therefore to the UK, that’s to our detriment, isn’t it?”
Lammy replied: “He didn’t seem to think it mattered a few weeks ago.”
Mason said: “But he might change his mind.”
The foreign secretary then said: “I don’t know, come on. I think that the truth is, when you’re doing this job, you understand the extent and breadth of the UK-US relationship.
“There are 11,000 US troops in this country. There are tens of thousands of US troops across Europe. We have the closest of intelligence capabilities, the best in the world, on demonstration before the Ukraine war, working effectively to keep the skies safe over Israel just a few weeks ago.
“So anyone who heads up America or indeed our country understands that, he understands that because he’s done the job of being president before. And in the end, he’s finding common ground just as I’m finding common ground.
“You don’t get to be a senior politician in our country unless you can find common ground.”
He added: “I’m well known in Westminster. I get along with folk, I just do.”
But Mason told him: “You may want to get along with him, but maybe he doesn’t want to get along with you.”
