Badenoch calls for Labour to apologise for Trump comments in first PMQs as Tory leader
6 November 2024, 12:30
Kemi Badenoch has urged labour to apologise for past comments about Donald Trump made by foreign secretary David Lammy.
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Mr Lammy had previously called president-elect Trump a ‘sociopath’.
In her first PMQs as Tory leader, she also called for Trump to receive an invite to Parliament.
She called for Sir Keir Starmer to ask the House Speaker to extend an invitation to Trump to address Parliament saying it would show Labour is beyond “student politics.”
Sir Keir said Ms Badenoch was “showing a masterclass in student politics” and that the Government would work closely with the Trump administration.
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A Labour MP shouted "resign" as Ms Badenoch stood at the despatch box for her first PMQs as Conservative leader, where she asked the Prime Minister to apologise for Foreign Secretary David Lammy's past comments about Donald Trump.
Ms Badenoch said: "Can I thank the Prime Minister for his almost warm welcome, and can I also echo the comments that he has made: it is an immense privilege and the honour of my life to lead the Conservative Party."
She added: "As leader of His Majesty's Opposition I will be taking a different approach to the last opposition by being a constructive opposition.
"And so I would like to start by congratulating President-elect Trump on his impressive victory this morning.
"The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary met him in September. 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 Starmer replied: "There will be many issues on which the leader of the Opposition and I disagree, but there will be issues that do unite this House on national security and Ukraine."
He added: "The Foreign Secretary and I did meet President-elect Trump just a few weeks ago for dinner for about a couple of hours, and we discussed a number of issues of global significance. It was a very constructive exercise."
