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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Eleni Courea Political correspondent

David Lammy calls Bashar al-Assad ‘the rat of Damascus’

David Lammy discusses Syria in the House of Commons.
David Lammy discusses Syria in the House of Commons. Photograph: Reuters

Bashar al-Assad is the “rat of Damascus fleeing to Moscow with his tail between his legs”, the foreign secretary has said after Islamist rebels took control of the Syrian capital over the weekend.

Speaking in the Commons, David Lammy said the Labour government had resisted pressure to re-engage with Assad because he was a “criminal” and a “butcher” who was “never, ever going to change”.

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