Fury Over Vance's Claim UK Under Labour Is 'Islamist'

Donald Trump’s choice for vice-president has provoked fury by describing the UK under Labour as an “Islamist country” with nuclear weapons.

- TOM WATLING , ARCHIE MITCHELL & DAVID MADDOX

Author and Ohio senator JD Vance was announced as Mr Trump’s running mate on Monday, just two days after an attempt to assassinate the former president, who is challenging Joe Biden for the White House in November.

Politicians from across the spectrum have condemned Mr Vance’s comments, with former Tory co-chair Sayeeda Warsi suggesting the special relationship between the UK and the US has “become no more than a racist joke”. Writing for The Independent, she added: “It bodes for really dangerous times ahead.”

Labour MP Rosie Duffield said Mr Vance had made “obviously a pretty ignorant and racist comment”, while Green Party coleader Carla Denyer said: “We need to call that out for what it is, it’s Islamophobic.”

In a speech for the National Conservatism Conference in Washington DC, Mr Vance recounted a conversation with a friend. “I was talking about, you know: what is the first truly Islamist country that will get a nuclear weapon?” he said. “Maybe it is Iran, maybe Pakistan already kind of counts, and then we finally decided that it’s actually the UK – since Labour just took over.”

Even Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, a supporter and friend of Mr Trump, disagreed but warned: “The truth is that Islamists are not within Labour but without and that will cost them the next general election.” Mr Vance’s comments met with a chorus of laughter from the crowd. He told the audience: “American leaders should look out for Americans... and for the Brits, UK leaders should look out for citizens of the UK or subjects or whatever you guys call yourselves.”