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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/16/trump-has-fanned-the-flames-of-divisive-politics-around-the-world-says-sadiq-khan>
"Donald Trump has arrived in the UK on Tuesday night to a barrage of criticism
from Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, who has accused the US president of doing
more than anyone else to encourage the intolerant far right across the globe.
In what will be considered to be a direct challenge to Keir Starmer’s
government to take a more robust stance towards Trump, Khan said the
president’s use of the military in cities and targeting of minorities was
“straight out of the autocrat’s playbook”.
In a last-minute blow to Starmer before Trump’s highly contentious state visit,
a plan to finally announce a deal to eliminate tariffs on British aluminium and
steel into the US has fallen apart, the
Guardian has been told.
Starmer has repeatedly cited the ability to avoid the worst of US tariffs as a
reason for his largely conciliatory approach to Trump, and is likely to face
renewed criticism for treating the US president to the pomp of an unprecedented
second state visit.
Trump will spend Wednesday with the king and queen and other royals at Windsor
Castle, and the pageantry-packed agenda includes a tour, a military flypast and
a banquet. On Thursday he will hold talks with Starmer at Chequers, the prime
minister’s country retreat.
While there are plans for demonstrations targeting the president, the schedule
means he is unlikely to see any of them. But as with any interaction with
Trump, the visit is filled with uncertainty and political risk for Starmer,
particularly the planned joint press conference at Chequers.
In an article for the
Guardian, Khan said that while he understood the
pragmatic reasons for maintaining good links with the US, Britain should not be
afraid of criticising a leader who alongside his allies, he said, had “perhaps
done the most to fan the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the
world in recent years”.
Khan, who publicly clashed with Trump during his first state visit in 2019,
condemned Trump’s use of the military in diverse cities, as well as the way
some US citizens had been deported without due process: “These actions aren’t
just inconsistent with western values – they’re straight out of the autocrat’s
playbook.”
The so-called special relationship between the UK and US, Khan said, “includes
being open and honest with each other”, adding: “At times, this means being a
critical friend and speaking truth to power. This includes being clear that we
reject the politics of fear and division.”
Khan also criticised British politicians and the media for failing to condemn
increased hatred and intolerance, saying this had directly led to the huge
far-right demonstration in London at the weekend."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
