British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday rejected Donald Trump’s recent assertion that there was a push to apply Islamic Sharia law in London, calling the claim “nonsense” and defending London Mayor Sadiq Khan in a rare moment of public criticism of the US president.
Earlier this week at the United Nations, Trump delivered a sweeping criticism of immigration policies in Europe. He specifically targeted the UK capital, saying “now they want to go to Sharia law” and calling Khan a “terrible, terrible mayor.”
Speaking to ITV London, Starmer said: “The idea of the introduction of Sharia law is nonsense and Sadiq Khan is a very good man.” He added that there are few things he disagrees with Trump on, “but I’m very clear, this is one of them.”
Khan, who represents Starmer’s centre-left Labour Party, became the first Muslim to be elected mayor of London in 2016. He has since won two more mayoral elections and holds the largest personal mandate of any British politician.
The US president’s comments at the General Assembly were the latest installment in a long-running public feud between Trump and Khan that dates back to at least 2017, when Khan criticized Trump’s pledge to implement a travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries.
Starmer, a technocrat and self-proclaimed socialist, and Trump, a proudly unpredictable Republican, have generally managed to set aside their ideological differences to develop a good working relationship.
Trump’s harsh criticism on Tuesday came just a week after he hailed the US-British relationship during an unprecedented second state visit to Britain, which featured high-profile royal pomp, including a carriage tour and a white-tie banquet.
Khan responded strongly to Trump’s comments this week by accusing the president of being “racist, sexist, misogynistic and Islamophobic.” He pointed to data showing a record number of Americans are currently settling in Britain.
