Lammy dismisses past criticism of Trump as 'old news'

The overseas caput has dismissed his erstwhile disapproval of Donald Trump arsenic "old news" and insisted helium would beryllium capable to find "common ground" with the president-elect.

When helium was a backbench MP successful 2018, David Lammy described Trump arsenic a "tyrant" and "a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath".

But successful his archetypal interrogation since Trump's victory, helium told the BBC's Newscast podcast the president-elect was "someone that we tin physique a narration with successful our nationalist interest".

Lammy praised his predetermination run arsenic "very good run", adding that: "I felt successful my bones that determination could beryllium a Trump presidency."

In the interview, Lammy was challenged implicit comments helium had made astir Trump earlier helium was overseas secretary.

In 2019, up of Trump's authorities sojourn to the UK, Lammy besides posted that the then-president was "deluded, dishonest, xenophobic, narcissistic" and "no person of Britain".

Pressed implicit whether helium had changed his mind, Lammy said the remarks were "old news" and you would "struggle to find immoderate politician" who had not said immoderate "pretty ripe things" astir Trump successful the past.

He added: "I deliberation that what you accidental arsenic a backbencher and what you bash wearing the existent work of nationalist bureau are 2 antithetic things.

"And I americium overseas secretary. There are things I cognize present that I didn't cognize backmost then."

Asked if Trump brought up his erstwhile comments erstwhile the brace met for meal successful New York successful September, Lammy said: "Not adjacent vaguely."

"I cognize this is simply a talking constituent today, but successful a satellite wherever there's warfare successful Europe, wherever there's a tremendous nonaccomplishment of beingness successful the Middle East, wherever the US and the UK genuinely person a peculiar relationship, wherever we got idiosyncratic who's astir to go again, the US president, who has acquisition of doing the occupation past clip round, we volition forge communal interests," helium said.

"We volition hold and align connected overmuch and wherever we disagree, we'll person those conversations arsenic well, astir often successful private."

Lammy was besides asked astir the imaginable interaction of Trump's policies connected UK trade.

During the predetermination campaign, helium vowed to dramatically summation taxes, oregon tariffs, connected overseas goods imported into the US.

Such a determination could deed billions of pounds' worthy successful British exports, including Scotch whisky, pharmaceutical products, and airplane parts.

Asked if the UK would question a peculiar commercialized statement truthful determination were nary other tariffs connected British exports to the US, Lammy said: "We volition question to guarantee and to get crossed to the United States, and I judge that they would recognize this, that hurting your closest allies cannot beryllium successful your mean oregon semipermanent interests."