US accused of meddling in British politics with £370k of ‘Trump Maga cash’ for schooling programmes’
A MP has accused the US government of ‘meddling in our democracy’ with a grant aiming to celebrate a Magna Carta memorial and topics including ‘limited government’ & ‘taxation by consent’
An MP has accused the US government of using ‘Trump’s Maga money to meddle in our democracy’(Image: AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
The US government has been accused of attempting to “meddle in British democracy” with “Trump’s Maga money” through an educational grant.
The US embassy in London opened an application, aimed at charities and NGOs, for a grant of up to $500,000 (£370,000) for a scheme labelled “Liberty Under Law: The Shared Anglo-American Tradition”. This grant is intended to commemorate the 70th anniversary of a Magna Carta Memorial in Runnymede, Surrey, but criticism has been drawn to the wording used by the US government.
The funding proposal appeared to use language aligned closely to the pro-Donald Trump Make America Great Again movement. For example one of the goals of the scheme was to reinforce “shared civilizational values”.
This scheme added that “priority will be given to ambitious initiatives that connect foundational principles” which included “limited government”, “freedom of speech” and “taxation by consent”.
The Magna Carta Memorial in Surrey was erected in 1957 by the American Bar Association (ABA) – an organisation of US lawyers and law students. The ABA is not involved with this grant scheme from the US government.
A summary of the grant listing said: “The U.S. Department of State invites eligible organizations to submit proposals for innovative, high-visibility public education and civic-engagement programs in the United Kingdom that deepen public understanding of the shared Anglo-American common law tradition, and/or to commemorate the 70th anniversary in 2017 of the American Bar Association’s unveiling of the Manga Carta Memorial in Runnymede, UK that honors the foundation of the rule of law.”
The proposal however says this grant will not support “projects relating to partisan political activity” or “lobbying for specific legislation of programs”.
Despite this, the scheme and language used have been slammed by Liberal Democrat MP Lisa Smart who, according to the Guardian, said: “Magna Carta aimed to limit the powers of tyrants and said everyone was subject to the rule of law, something for which Trump has repeatedly shown utter contempt.
“We have a proud tradition of liberty and freedom of speech in this country and we don’t need Trump’s Maga money meddling in our democracy.”
A recently departed US state department official, according to the Guardian, shared their concerns and said it was “highly unusual” to “specifically fund topics related to a narrow vision of America First is highly unusual”.
This source reportedly accused the current US regime of attempting to “create UK-originated narratives to support Maga propaganda”.
A spokesperson for the US embassy in London responded to the MP’s accusation of “meddling” and said it was “mindful of such concerns, and has discontinued Biden-era public diplomacy spending on divisive ideological projects such as ‘climate justice,’ LGBTQ activism, and race-based hiring initiatives”.
The Mirror has reached out to the US embassy in London for comment.
