EMILY THORNBERRY: ‘Trump behaves like a bully – however Starmer’s proving one factor’
‘Through all of Trump’s threats and reckless behaviour, I have been proud to see our Prime Minister united with our allies to say no’, Dame Emily Thornberry writes for the Sunday Mirror
Donald Trump was branded a bully(Image: AP)
It’s been a really difficult week for Britain.
The United States will always be Britain’s most important ally, we share a uniquely close relationship, from economic to defence to culture. But in recent weeks, the leader of our closest ally has behaved like a bully; he has been rude, he has undermined international law, he has tried to undermine the UK and threatened the survival of NATO as a whole.
And this week, he said something which, even for him, has shocked me. His claim that NATO allies like the UK had “stayed back” from the frontlines is not just “a mistake”. It is an absolute insult. An insult to the 457 British families who lost someone in Afghanistan. An insult to the many more injured, who live with the physical or mental scars of war. I doubt whether the families of fallen soldiers or those maimed for life will interpret the post on Truth Social as a proper apology.
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The Prime Minister is right: Trump must apologise properly. NATO’s Article 5 dictates that an attack on one is an attack on all of us. It is essentially a call for help from a nation under attack. In the seventy-six-year history of NATO, Article 5 has only ever been triggered once – by the US following the devastating attacks on 9/11.
And when the US called for help, the very nations Trump now says would never come to the US’ side did exactly that. Britain answered the call. France answered the call. Denmark answered the call. In fact, it was Denmark who lost more soldiers per capita than any other NATO country. It is frankly shocking that the Commander in Chief of the United States does not know how the US has been defended.
However, a small comfort to me is knowing that Americans who actually served in the Armed Forces know better. When I meet US veterans, there is a genuine respect for the men and women who have served alongside them in every conflict for the last 50 years.
Through all of Trump’s threats and reckless behaviour, I have been proud to see our Prime Minister united with our allies to say no. To link arms with nations and say enough. To say: you can’t just take Greenland, and you can’t just threaten tariffs to get your way, you can’t breach international law. To say this is the line you cannot cross.
I do understand calls from some to distance ourselves from the US. But the Prime Minister is proving you can stand up to Trump without wrecking the relationship between the two nations.
What’s more, it is also important to remember that our relationship with the US goes beyond whoever happens to currently inhabit the White House. The Special Relationship will survive the next three years.
‘Social media companies unwilling to protect their platforms from foreign powers’
This week the Government announced a consultation into possibly banning social media for under 16s, following in the footsteps of Australia who banned it in 2025.
But there are other threats posed by social media. A threat not just reserved to young people.
I’ve spent the past year looking into foreign disinformation, and it is clear to me that social media companies are either unable or unwilling to protect their platforms from being abused by foreign powers – such as the 1,300 X accounts purporting to be Scottish Nationalists that mysteriously go silent every time the internet in Iran is shut off.
Foreign powers are spreading lies through social media in order to undermine our democracy, and with elections across the country coming up, we must protect ourselves.
‘Hero from Highbury’
When people volunteer to knock on doors and speak to their neighbours about voting Labour, they can expect lots of things. From Discussions about potholes, to whether the King should visit America.
What they may not be expecting is needing to break into a flat in order to save an elderly lady who has fallen down the stairs.
Congratulations to Alistair Harper – a canvassing hero from Highbury.
No child should go to school hungry
No child should go to school hungry. It’s wrong and makes it harder to learn, limiting their potential.
That’s why I’m so pleased to see the Government is introducing even more breakfast clubs. And soon, schools in every corner of England will have one, saving families up to £450 a year. What a difference Labour makes.
