Keir Starmer sided with Zelensky last night after Trump called him a “dictator.” Downing Street said Starmer “stressed the need for everyone to work together. The Prime Minister expressed his support for President Zelensky as Ukraine’s democratically elected leader and said that it was perfectly reasonable to suspend elections during war time as the UK did during World War 2.” Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy was on the airwaves this morning avoiding direct condemnation and even praising US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. On BBC Breakfast she said:
“We’re clear, and the Prime Minister is clear, that we’ve got to take the heat out of this situation. The only way that we’re going to get a solution for Ukraine is to get all sides around the table and negotiate a diplomatic solution. And it was encouraging to hear the US secretary of state Marco Rubio make exactly that point this week. That’s why the Prime Minister was in Europe this weekend, it’s why he spoke to president Zelensky last night, and it’s why he’s going over to the United States to see president Trump next week.”
A diplomatic tightrope ahead of Starmer’s White House visit next week…
David Lammy was asked on Times Radio if scrapping jury trials would eliminate the court backlog by the next election:
“It won’t be eliminated by the next election. That’s impossible. We just have 84 Crown courts across our country and 500 courtrooms.”