UK (Parliament Poltiics Magazine) – UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and US Vice President JD Vance bonded over tough childhoods and global politics during a Diet Coke meetup in Washington.
As reported by The Guardian, David Lammy spoke of a deepening bond with JD Vance, grounded in their tough, working-class childhoods.
Over a series of interviews with The Guardian, the foreign secretary recalled a “wonderful hour and a half” spent with JD Vance and deputy PM Angela Rayner at the US embassy in Italy this May.
What did David Lammy say about his bond with JD Vance?
David Lammy said he considered JD Vance a close friend after attending mass at the vice-president’s home, bonding over their shared working-class roots.
He said,
“I remember being at the inauguration of the new pope in Rome with Angela Rayner and JD Vance. I don’t think JD and Angela will mind me saying that they were having a couple of drinks … I really wanted a glass [of rosé] but instead I had a Diet Coke.”
Reflecting on their shared pasts, Mr Lammy described the trio as “not just working-class politicians, but people with dysfunctional childhoods.”
He stated,
“I had this great sense that JD completely relates to me, and he completely relates to Angela. So it was a wonderful hour and a half.”
What did David Lammy say about Zelenskyy’s tense Oval Office meeting?
During his interview, Mr Lammy admitted he felt a wave of guilt when he learned how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s first tense meeting with US President Donald Trump and JD Vance had unfolded.
He stated,
“If I’m being honest, I felt, arrghhh! Why hadn’t I done more to support our Ukrainian colleagues in preparation for their meeting?… I was being a bit hard on myself. But I still felt guilty.”
What did David Lammy say about Starmer’s ‘island of strangers’ speech?
David Lammy admitted he was uncomfortable with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s use of the phrase “island of strangers” during a speech on immigration.
The comments drew criticism, with some accusing the PM of echoing rhetoric reminiscent of Enoch Powell.
He added,
“I think the use of language was poor. Poor choice. And if someone had shown me the speech, I would’ve said, ‘Take that out.’”
How did David Lammy respond to the Gaza-Israel conflict?
The foreign secretary reflected on the Gaza conflict, describing his “days of deep frustration, deep sadness” over the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. “Things are desperate for people on the ground, desperate for the hostages in Gaza,” he said, adding that the world was “desperate for a ceasefire, for the suffering to come to an end.”
He expressed a strong desire to visit Gaza, saying he “100 per cent” hoped to go “as soon as I can get in”.
Commenting before the UK backed Palestinian statehood, he warned that such a move was a “card you can only play once”.
David Lammy’s views about his father’s absence
David Lammy opened up about the impact of his early life, revealing how his father’s alcoholism and violence left a lasting mark before he left for the US.
He said,
“My father didn’t come back. Psychologically, that is devastating. There must have been a bit of me that blamed myself. I question whether he did, in fact, love me.”
Mr Lammy’s father died of throat cancer, a loss he said he “could not emotionally handle… at the time”, adding,
“I’m quite a forgiving person, my nature is wanting to build bridges, to reach out. It’s why I think I’m not bad at this role.”
Referring to his current role, he admitted,
“This is the first time in my life where I do not have impostor syndrome. I genuinely have a sense of being in the right place at the right time for this job.”
What did David Lammy say about UK arms sales to Israel?
David Lammy said,
“We have suspended arms sales that can be used in Gaza. I’m satisfied that we are not in any way complicit in a breach of international humanitarian law. That’s the sober undertaking that I take as foreign secretary.”
When asked about Britain’s ability to halt the conflict, he responded, “
I wish we could, but the truth is … we are unable to do that, just as the United Kingdom. We have to work in partnership with our allies; that is what we have done. And I’m afraid that if we do not see this war come to an end, there will be more action.”
Mr Lammy added,
“But I stand on my record, and it’s a good record. I believe it’s one that we can hold up, and it’s one that you would find other governments have not done as much as the UK government has done to bring the war to an end, but have we succeeded at this point? We have failed until it succeeds. That is the truth.”