London Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched a blistering attack on US President Donald Trump ahead of his state visit, accusing him of doing more than anyone else to encourage intolerant far-right movements worldwide. In an exclusive article for the Guardian, Khan described Trump's use of military force in cities and targeting of minorities as 'straight out of the autocrat's playbook'.
The mayor's comments come as a planned deal to eliminate US tariffs on British aluminium and steel collapsed at the last minute, delivering a blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had cited trade protection as a reason for his conciliatory stance. Trump will spend Wednesday with the Royal Family at Windsor Castle and hold talks with Starmer at Chequers on Thursday.
Khan said the UK should not be afraid to criticise a leader who, along with his allies, had 'perhaps done the most to fan the flames of divisive, far-right politics around the world in recent years'. He argued that the special relationship must include being 'open and honest', and that Britain must 'speak truth to power'.
The mayor also criticised British politicians and the media for failing to condemn rising hatred, which he said directly enabled the large far-right demonstration led by Tommy Robinson in London last weekend. 'The scenes we saw didn't come from nowhere,' Khan wrote, urging leaders to stop 'dabbling in dog-whistle politics'.
In response, Starmer told his cabinet the UK faces 'the fight of our times' against toxic division, describing the march as 'shocking' and 'a chill through the spines' of ethnic minority Britons. The prime minister's comments came after criticism of a slow initial reaction to the protest, which also featured a video address from Elon Musk.
