The foreign secretary dismissed his previous criticism of Donald Trump as “old news” and insisted he would be able to find “common ground” with the president-elect.
As a backbencher in 2018, David Lammy described Trump as a “tyrant” and a “misogynistic sociopath with neo-Nazi sympathies”.
But in his first interview since Trump won, He told the BBC News Podcast The president-elect is “someone with whom we can have a relationship for the benefit of our country.”
Lamy praised his campaign as “running extremely well,” adding: “I feel in my bones that Trump could be elected president.”
In the interview, Lamy was questioned about his comments about Trump before he became foreign secretary.
In 2019, before Trump’s state visit to the UK, Lamy also wrote that the then president was “deceived, dishonest, xenophobic, narcissistic” and “not a friend of the UK.”
Asked if he had changed his mind, Lamy said the comments were “old news” and you would be “hard-pressed to find any politician” who hasn’t said some “pretty mature things” about Trump in the past.
He added: “I think what you say as a backbencher and what you do in the performance of your true duties as a public official are two different things.
“I was the foreign secretary. There are things I know now that I didn’t know then.”
When asked if Trump referred to his previous remarks When the two met for dinner in New York in SeptemberLamy said: “Not even vague.”
“I know this is a talking point today, but in a world where there’s war in Europe, there’s tremendous loss of life in the Middle East, and the United States and the United Kingdom have a truly special relationship, we have a story about being President of the United States again, and we’re going to build common interests, and we’re There is experience from the previous president.
“There are a lot of areas where we agree and remain consistent, and if we disagree, we have those conversations, often privately.”
Lamy was also asked about the potential impact of Trump’s policies on UK trade.
During the campaign, he vowed to significantly increase taxes or tariffs on foreign goods imported into the United States.
The move could hit billions of pounds worth of British exports including Scotch whiskey, pharmaceuticals and aircraft parts.
Asked whether the UK would seek special trade arrangements so that UK exports to the US would not be subject to additional tariffs, Lamy said: “We will seek to ensure and communicate that to the US and I am sure they will understand that and it will hurt you the most. Close allies are not in your mid- or long-term interests.
