Prime Minister Keir Starmer has delivered a firm response to Donald Trump's controversial 'piggy' insult directed at a female journalist, emphasising his commitment to maintaining respectful relationships with the press.
Starmer's Defence of Journalistic Respect
Speaking to reporters while travelling to the G20 summit in South Africa, the Prime Minister addressed Trump's behaviour without directly naming the former US president. Mr Starmer stated he would "always be respectful" to journalists, marking a clear contrast in approaches to media relations.
The incident occurred when Mr Trump barked "Quiet! Quiet, piggy" at Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey aboard Air Force One on Monday night. The exchange happened when Ms Lucey attempted to question Trump about the Epstein files during his journey to Washington.
Political Reactions and Fallout
While Mr Starmer acknowledged he hadn't personally viewed the footage, he told journalists: "President Trump can speak for himself so I'm not going to speak for him but my approach is that I will always be respectful to journalists whatever questions they're putting to me."
The Prime Minister reinforced the importance of press freedom in democratic societies, adding: "It's really important to keep that principle of respect for journalists who are doing actually a really important job, certainly in the UK and our democracy."
Cabinet Minister Adds Criticism
Health Secretary Wes Streeting had already condemned Trump's comments earlier in the week, describing them as "just not right" during an appearance on ITV's This Morning. The Cabinet minister expressed shock that any British politician would use similar language towards female journalists.
Mr Streeting acknowledged ongoing challenges with sexism in British politics while maintaining that such overt disrespect "belongs in the history books" rather than contemporary political discourse.
In a surprising defence, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed Trump's "piggy" remark was actually "respectful", arguing that his frankness represented more honesty than previous administrations had shown the press corps.
The incident has highlighted contrasting approaches to media relations between international leaders as Mr Starmer prepares to meet with world leaders at the G20 summit in South Africa.
