Donald Trump’s pick for Vice President, JD Vance, may be a Right-wing Republican but that hasn’t stopped him from building a good relationship with David Lammy, UK foreign secretary and long-serving Labour MP.
Before the election Lammy visited Washington DC to strengthen his American connections and as part of the trip met with Vance, who is currently serving as a Senator.
“I’m meeting senior White House officials and meeting friends,” said Lammy in a promotional clip of his US visit. The first “friend” he is shown meeting in the video is Vance. The pair embrace, shake hands and smile.
The UK’s alliance with the US is critical.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) May 11, 2024
Cooperation isn’t a luxury but a necessity.
This is why I visited Washington DC this week 👇🏿 pic.twitter.com/T1XQqoBzbu
“I’m perhaps unusual for a British politician in that I’ve been to America more times than I’ve been to France,” Lammy says in the video. His other American friends include former President Barack Obama, whom he met while studying at Harvard University.
Lammy has previously castigated Donald Trump “woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath” but has now markedly softened his approach.
Vance joked just last week that the Labour government which Lammy is a part of has made Britain an “Islamist” state.
Bad turnout for Boris
Boris Johnson is in America for the Republican National Convention (RNC), but it seems the former prime minister got a less than enthusiastic reception at his first event. Photos from Johnson’s first RNC engagement, obtained by the Daily Mirror, show the ex-PM addressing a largely empty room. Former Trump adviser Matt Mowers also posed with Johnson at the event, showing the largely empty seats behind them. Johnson was speaking at a talk hosted by the Vapor Technology Association, an e-cigarette trade association based in the US. He previously called Rishi Sunak’s attempt to ban smoking and disposable vapes “absolutely nuts”.
