The suggestion of the imposition of Sharia law is rubbish and Sadiq Khan is an extremely good man,” states UP premier.
LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday dismissed Donald Trump’s recent claim that there was an effort to implement Islamic Sharia law in London as “nonsense” and come to the defense of London Mayor Sadiq Khan in a rare rebuke of the US leader.
Trump earlier this week at the United Nations gave a broad denunciation of immigration policies in Europe. He specifically named the UK capital, stating “now they want to go to Sharia law” and labeling Khan as a “terrible, terrible mayor”.
The idea of the introduction of Sharia law is nonsense and Sadiq Khan is a very good man,” Starmer told ITV London. He added that there are few things he disagrees with Trump on, “but I’m very clear, this is one of them”.
Khan, who is a representative of Starmer’s centre-left Labour Party, was elected in 2016 as the first Muslim mayor of London. He has then won two further mayoral elections and holds the biggest personal mandate of any British politician.
Trump statement that London may implement Sharia law is ‘nonsense’, claims Starmer
The US president’s words at the General Assembly were the most recent in a long-standing public exchange of blows between Trump and Khan that stretches at least as far back as 2017, when Khan condemned Trump for promising a travel ban on several majority-Muslim nations.
Starmer, a technocrat and self-described socialist, and Trump, a defiantly unconventional Republican, have normally braved their differences to build a good working relationship.
Trump’s Tuesday criticism followed only a week ago, when he celebrated the US-British alliance with an unprecedented second state visit to Britain involving royal pomp, including a carriage ride and a white-tie dinner.
This week, Khan reacted to Trump’s comments by branding him as “racist, sexist, misogynistic and Islamophobic.” He referred to statistics indicating a record number of Americans moving to live in Britain.
