𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Ed Davey lambasted Donald Trump in the House of Commons today, accusing the US President of being a “dangerous and corrupt gangster”. The leader of the Liberal Democrats made the comments as he called on the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, to advise King Charles to cancel his upcoming visit to the United States, marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

It comes amid the fallout from the US and Israel’s deeply controversial war in Iran, which began in late February and led to Tehran effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route in the oil trade. In the weeks that followed, Trump has bashed Britain and other NATO allies for not joining the conflict as he comes under pressure to de-escalate. Trump sparked further fury with a chilling threat to Iran ahead of the start of a two-week ceasefire between the two nations that’s now in effect. In a post on Truth Social, the President said: “A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to ​be brought back ​again. I don’t want that ‌to ⁠happen, but it probably will.”

Addressing the Commons, Mr Davey said they were words “I never thought I would hear from an American president”.

“And though Donald Trump thankfully didn’t follow through this time, these words are a stark reminder of how reckless, immoral, and completely outside the bounds of international law this President is,” he added.

“Regrettably, he is no friend of the United Kingdom, he is no leader of the free world, he is a dangerous and corrupt gangster, and that is how we must treat him.

“So will the Prime Minister advise the King to call off his state visit to Washington before it’s too late, because I really fear for what Trump might say or do while our King is forced to stand by his side. We cannot put His Majesty in that position.”

He also rejected Trump’s decision to block all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports, starting at 10am ET (2pm GMT) today after efforts to reach a peace deal broke down.

Trump says his order is in response to Iran “knowingly failing” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He also warns the US Navy will “blow to hell” any Iranians that attack them and will interdict any ship found paying transit tolls to Iran.

Mr Davey said the move “only escalates this crisis, and jeopardises the precarious ceasefire”, saying Sir Keir was right in his decision to keep Britain out of it.

“And I welcome the Prime Minister convening a summit to offer an alternative to Trump’s. We must work with our reliable allies in Europe, and the Commonwealth, and our partners in the Gulf to bring this conflict to an end, and keep open the Strait of Hormuz,” he added.

“That is critical for tackling the cost-of-living crisis that is getting worse and worse for people in the UK.

He asked if the Treasury would use windfalls it is receiving from higher fuel prices to cut living costs and keep the economy moving, reducing bus and rail fairs and cutting fuel duty by 10p today, bringing down the price at the pumps by 12p a litre.

Sir Keir responded: In relation to the language about destroying a civilization, can I really be clear with this house: that was wrong.

“A threat to Iranian civilians in that way is wrong. These are civilians, let’s remember, who have suffered immeasurable harm by the regime in Iran for many long years.

“And they’re words and phrases I would never use on the behalf of this Government, which is guided by our principes and our values throughout all of this.

“Mr Speaker, in relation to the King’s visit, the relationship between our two countries is very important on a number levels, and often what the monarchy is able to do through the bonds that they build is reach through the decades on a situation like this.”

He noted that the purpose of the visit is to celebrate both the US’s historical milestone and the relationship between America and Britain, “and that’s why the visit is going ahead”.

“In relation to the blockade, let me be clear as I’ve already been in the last day or so: we are focusing our effort on opening in full the Strait of Hormuz, because of the damage it’s doing to economies around the world, including our own economy.

“That is why we have been working with other countries at various levels and will bring them together in a summit later this week.

He reaffirmed that Britain would not be joining the blockade. Sir Keir added that help has been provided in the form of energy and oil heating bills support that’s in place, and is keeping it under constant review as the situation evolves.

The PM said the most effective thing they can do is to de-escalate the situation and work with others to get the shipping lane open.