UK: David Lammy responds to Republican VP pick JD Vance's 'Islamist' jibe
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has refused to condemn Donald Trump's running mate JD Vance on Thursday over his claim that under Labour, the UK could become the first “Islamist” state with nuclear weapons.
Lammy said he could find “common ground” with Vance, who would become vice president of the US if Trump wins the November election.
He described Vance as a “friend” and noted that “we share a similar working-class background with addiction issues in our family.
“And we're both Christians, so I think I can find common ground with JD Vance.”
At a conservative conference last week, Vance asked: "What is the first truly Islamist country that will get a nuclear weapon?", recalling a conversation with a friend.
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"Maybe it’s Iran, maybe Pakistan already kind of counts, and then we sort of finally decided maybe it’s actually the UK, since Labour just took over.”
The idea that Labour is in cahoots with so-called Islamists is a widespread trope in right-wing circles.
Senior Labour officials have downplayed Vance’s remarks. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said on Tuesday that the Ohio senator has said a lot of “fruity” things in the past and that she does not recognise his “characterisations”.
Defence Secretary John Healey asserted that “President Trump is controversial” and it “should be no surprise he’s picked somebody who’s also controversial as a running mate”.
Lammy told the BBC on Thursday that he does not recognise Vance’s comments: “We got votes in the election from all corners of the country and all sorts of people.”
Vance is best known among US voters for his rust belt, conservative politics. A so-called "America Firster", he is said to prioritise domestic issues over those of other countries - but is a strong supporter of aid to Israel and an advocate of helping the state confront Iran.
Trump, who announced Vance just days after an attempted assassination left him lightly wounded, is currently the favourite to win the US presidential election for the Republican Party in November.
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