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21.1.25

LONDON: Labour peers cheered on incoming us president Donald Trump’s democratic credentials in the house of lords on monday.

“We on these benches offer our warm congratulations to president Trump on his inauguration. We have a special relationship with our transatlantic partners,” labour peer and government whip lord Leong, repeating a well known westminster mantra.

“We have to respect president Trump. He won an enormous victory and he has a massive mandate from the american people. That is democracy. We will work with president Trump and his administration,” Leong added, confident in his own definition of democracy which would still have to perform impressive acrobatic maneuvers to explain Trump’s rejection of the result of the 2020 election.

Conservative peer lord Dobbs thought the us-uk relationship too important for british politicians to speak their mind about Trump. “Over the weekend the labour mayor of london insisted on calling president Trump, essentially, a fascist, and said that we are on the road to the 1930s,” Dobbs said, before asking the government to condemn Sadiq Khan’s comments.

“The united states is a great constitutional democracy,” said labour’s baroness Chakrabarti, which is presumably different in some way to being a great democracy.

That said, Chakrabarti added that a trade deal “between our two great democracies” should “not privilege international corporations over citizens or workers, and [should] respect both democracy and the rule of law.”

Unfortunately for the rule of law, citizens, workers and democracy, lord Leong could make no assurances. “No two trade agreements are the same … we have to negotiate for what is best for our country and for business,” he said.