On Sunday, Priti Patel defended her previous criticisms of Donald Trump, telling BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that “times have moved on”. The shadow foreign secretary started the interview by criticising the Labour Party for past comments about the US president-elect.
However, Kuenssberg soon reminded Patel of her own response to the January 6th Capitol riots in 2021, where she had condemned Trump’s influence. At the time, Patel had described the violence as “horrendous” and criticised Trump for failing to condemn it, adding, “People have died. There is no justification for it.”
Kuenssberg Presses on Capitol Comments
During the interview, Kuenssberg questioned Patel about whether she would apologise to Trump for her comments, given her stance that Labour should apologise for theirs. Patel responded by emphasising the severity of the situation, saying, “No one wants to see violence after elections.”
Pressed further by Kuenssberg on whether she still stood by her comments, Patel repeated that the Capitol riots were a “serious situation” and remarked that her previous statements were “absolutely right and fair and relevant.”
Patel Redirects Criticism to Labour
Patel then shifted focus back to Labour, stating that David Lammy, the current foreign secretary, had made comments that were “much more personal and undiplomatic” toward Trump. Lammy had previously called Trump a “neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath” during his first term, remarks he later dismissed as “old news”.
Patel stressed her own “very strong working relationship” with the US and emphasised the importance of a diplomatic relationship built on “trust and respect”.
Final Thoughts on the Capitol Riots
Concluding her remarks, Patel acknowledged that “any violence of that scale is unacceptable”. Reflecting on her previous comments, she maintained, “Within that context, those comments were absolutely right and appropriate.”
You can watch it below:
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