Trump’s criticism of Khan ‘wrong’, Downing Street says
Donald Trump and Sir Sadiq Khan have been locked in a long-running war of words
Sir Keir Starmer believes Donald Trump’s criticism of Sir Sadiq Khan is “wrong,” Downing Street has said, after the Prime Minister faced calls to stand up to the US president.
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No 10’s defence of the Labour London Mayor came a day after it declined to criticise the president’s attack on him.
Mr Trump’s latest salvo in his long-running spat with Sir Sadiq came in an interview in which he branded the UK politician a “disaster” and “disgusting”.
The Prime Minister’s press secretary told reporters on Wednesday: “Those comments are wrong."
She praised the mayor, saying: “The Mayor of London is doing an excellent job in London, delivering free school meals in primary schools, cleaning up London’s air with the world’s largest clean air zone and starting record numbers of council houses.
“The Prime Minister is hugely proud of the Mayor of London’s record and proud to call him a colleague and a friend.”
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Mr Trump had also told Politico Sir Sadiq had been elected “because so many people have come in”.
Asked about that claim in particular, Sir Keir’s press secretary reiterated: “As I say, the comments are wrong.”
Sir Keir was urged to tell the American leader not to meddle in European politics during Prime Minister’s Questions.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the Prime Minister should tell Mr Trump that “any attempts to interfere with our democracy are totally unacceptable”, in relation to America’s new security strategy.
The 33-page document questions whether some European nations could remain “reliable allies” in the long-term and defines Washington’s policy on Europe as one of “cultivating resistance” to their “current trajectory”.
Sir Keir replied: “What I see is a strong Europe, united behind Ukraine and united behind our long-standing values of freedom and democracy, and I will always stand up for those values and those freedoms.”
On Tuesday, a Downing Street spokesman declined to directly rebut Mr Trump’s condemnation of Sir Sadiq, saying Sir Keir had strong relationships with both men.
The spokesman then denied failing to stand up for the London Mayor.
Sir Sadiq responded to Politico by claiming Mr Trump had become “obsessed” with him, and suggested Americans are “flocking” to live in London because its values are the “antithesis” of the US.