Not that special ... Corbyn’s latest snub to American allies
JEREMY Corbyn cast doubt on the special relationship with the US yesterday, saying it is not the most important that Britain has with another country.
The Labour leader even appeared to suggest the special relationship might not exist when he said he was ‘not sure that anyone has succeeded’ in defining it.
He also criticised Donald Trump’s ‘endless offensive remarks’, while his shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry branded the US President a dangerous racist and an ‘asteroid of awfulness’.
Appearing on ITV’s Peston On Sunday, Mr Corbyn was asked if Britain’s relationship with the US was the most important it has with another country.
He replied: ‘No. I think there are many important relationships.
‘The US one is obviously culturally and economically significant and important.
‘Also the trading relationships we have around the world with obviously the EU, but also with India and China and the rest of the world, are very important.
‘Also our relationship with international institutions such as the UN is very important.’
He added: ‘The biggest disappointment of Donald Trump – apart from his endless offensive remarks about women, about minorities and about different faiths – is his failure to support international institutions like the UN and like Unesco.’ Mr Corbyn acknowledged having a relationship with the US was important ‘because it is such a huge military and economic power around the world’. But he said: ‘I’m not sure anyone has succeeded in defining the special relationship.
‘I’ve asked about the special relationship and I was told once by a former prime minister… that if they specified what the special relationship was, it wouldn’t be a special relationship.’
Labour was accused of putting the special relationship ‘at risk’ last week after senior figures gloated at Mr Trump’s decision to cancel a visit to Britain next month to open the new US embassy.
However, Mr Corbyn said yesterday: ‘He’s going to come at some point, I suppose – he is the President of the US.’
Mr Corbyn has been a frequent critic of Mr Trump, and last month urged protesters to turn out in force to send him ‘a clear message’ if his planned visit went ahead.
Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show yesterday, Miss Thornberry was scathing about the US President after reports that he had branded Haiti and some African states ‘s**thole’ countries.
Welcoming the cancellation of his visit, she said: ‘He is an asteroid of awfulness that has fallen on this world. I think he is a danger and I think he is a racist.’
On the same show, Tory chairman Brandon Lewis said it was right that Mr Trump had been invited, and Britain should develop its relationship with the US.
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