Angela Rayner hits back at Trump running mate after 'Islamist UK' comment

16 July 2024, 15:10 | Updated: 16 July 2024, 15:12

Angela Rayner has hit back at Donald Trump’s running mate after he claimed the UK could be the first "truly Islamist" country to have nuclear weapons.

Ohio Senator JD Vance, who on Monday was chosen by Donald Trump to be his vice presidential candidate made the inflammatory comments while attending the National Conservatism conference in Washington DC.

He told the National Conservatism conference last week: "I have to beat up on the UK - just one additional thing. I was talking with a friend recently.

"And we were talking about, you know, one of the big dangers in the world, of course, is nuclear proliferation, though, of course, the Biden administration doesn't care about it.

"And I was talking about, you know, what is the first truly Islamist country that will get a nuclear weapon and we were like, maybe it's Iran, you know, maybe Pakistan already kind of counts and then we sort of finally decided maybe it's actually the UK, since Labour just took over."

Hitting back, Deputy Prime Minister Rayner dismissed these comments, saying she does not “recognise” this description of the UK.

The idea that Islamist groups are gaining power in Europe has grown in popularity amongst the American right in recent years.

Read more: Donald Trump chooses senator JD Vance as running mate, as he is officially nominated as Republican candidate

Read more: Trump's vice-president pick JD Vance joked UK could be 'first Islamist country to have nuclear weapons' under Labour

Angela Rayner told ITV that Vance has said "quite a lot of fruity things in the past" but she looks forward to meeting Mr Trump’s team should he win the US election in November.

She said: "I'm very proud of the election success that Labour had recently.

"We won votes across all different communities, across the whole of the country, and we're interested in governing on behalf of Britain and also working with our international allies."

Other senior Labour politicians have hit out at Vance following Mr Trump’s decision to announce him as his running mate.

Exchequer Secretary James Murray told LBC: "I don't know what he meant by that.

“Obviously who the US elects is a matter for people in America"

He continued, that the government would "work with the US whoever is in charge.”

Speaking to Sky News, he added: “I don't know what he was driving at in that comment, to be honest.

“I mean, in Britain, we're very proud of our diversity.

"I'm very proud that we have a new government, I'm very proud that our Labour government is committed to national security and economic growth. I'm very clear where we are.

"I don't really know how that comment fits in."

Despite Vance’s recent comments, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is reportedly on good terms with the would-be Vice President.

Mr Lammy referred to the Senator as a “friend” after the pair met in May.

Announcing his decision to nominate Vance, Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social: "J.D. has had a very successful business career in technology and finance, and now, during the campaign, will be strongly focused on the people he fought so brilliantly for, the American workers and farmers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and far beyond."