David Lammy brands Marine Le Pen ‘toxic and malevolent’ in past tweets

David Lammy has kept a low profile during Labour's general election campaign - DAVID CLIFF/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK

David Lammy is facing questions about his suitability as a Labour foreign secretary after it emerged he has described Marine Le Pen as toxic and malevolent.

The first round of voting in the French elections suggests Ms Le Pen’s National Rally party could soon seize power in the French parliament, and if Labour wins the election on Thursday, Mr Lammy could be foreign secretary by Friday, representing Britain in its dealing with foreign allies including France.

The shadow foreign secretary has also described Donald Trump, the US presidential hopeful, as a Nazi sympathiser and expressed support for charging Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu with alleged war crimes.

On Monday he was forced to row back on his previous comments by insisting Labour would “work with whoever is elected” if Sir Keir Starmer becomes prime minister.

The Conservatives say Mr Lammy’s previous comments make him unsuitable for the role of foreign secretary, and even Sir Keir has refused to confirm whether he will be given the job, despite making it clear that others, including the shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, will keep the same brief.

A close relationship with France will be vital for whoever is in government after the election, to tackle the problem of illegal immigrants crossing the Channel in small boats.

‘Drag us into the gutter’

Mr Lammy has never disguised his contempt for figures on the Right including Mr Trump and Ms Le Pen, and has even taken to the streets to march against Mr Trump.

In 2018 he wrote on Twitter (now called X): “Malevolent figures like [presidential aide] Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, Nigel Farage and Marine Le Pen want to drag us into the gutter.”

The previous year he tweeted: “We don’t want the xenophobia of Farage and Le Pen in our country. We must stand up to them and their toxic views.”

He also said: “First America, now Le Pen. This virus is contagious, just as it was in the 1930s… But some of us don’t forget our history and will stand up and fight this s— until our last breath.”

Sir Keir Starmer has refused to confirm whether Mr Lammy would be his foreign secretary - TAYFUN SALCI/ZUMA/SHUTTERSTOCK

When Mr Trump visited Britain in 2018, Mr Lammy joined an anti-Trump march, writing at the time: “Trump is not only a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath, he is also a profound threat to the international order that has been the foundation of Western progress for so long… I will be one of tens of thousands on the streets, protesting against our government’s capitulation to this tyrant in a toupee.”

Mr Lammy, whose job as foreign secretary would include dealing with Israel and the Palestinians over the continuing conflict in Gaza, made clear which side he was on when he said that “international law must be upheld” after the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court called for a warrant to be issued for the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, for alleged war crimes.

‘Hyperbolic rhetoric’

A Conservative Party source said: “Once upon a time, David Lammy was a reasonably thoughtful politician but since the Brexit Referendum something has changed.

“He frequently indulges in hyperbolic rhetoric, never missing an opportunity to smear those who disagree with him as racists and fascists. It’s a fundamentally unserious approach to politics and diplomacy more at home on a US college campus than in the Foreign Office.”

Asked on Monday whether he would be willing to work with National Rally if he wins the election, Sir Keir said: “I will work with any government in Europe and across the world if we are elected in to serve the country. For me, that’s what serious government is about.”

Donald Trump was once described as a 'profound threat to the international order' by Mr Lammy - STEV HELBER/AP PHOTO

Mr Lammy told journalists at the Foreign Press Association on Monday: “France is one of Britain’s closest allies and we will work with whoever is elected. It is a democracy and it is up to the French people who governs them.

“The results last night were the first round of the French parliamentary elections. We will wait to see what happens in the second round on July 7.”

A Labour source pointed out that Ms Le Pen is not standing in the current elections and that Mr Lammy’s team has been in touch with National Rally in Paris.

Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow paymaster general, used the sort of language the Government normally reserves for countries such as China, saying Britain would always need to work with France on global issues such as climate change and migration, but that Sir Keir will “make the case for progressive values”.

‘Disaster’ for France

Nigel Farage said it would be a “disaster” if National Rally won power in France. The Reform UK leader said the party would be “even worse for the economy than the current lot”.

Mr Farage, who believes in tax cuts and spending cuts, does not agree with National Rally’s policy of borrowing heavily to fund public spending. He also believes the party is too protectionist when it comes to trade.

Mr Lammy’s dealings with Guyana, the country of his mother’s birth, are also likely to come under scrutiny if he becomes foreign secretary.

He is an adviser to Pomeroon Trading, a start-up company that has had help from the UK Government and is listed on the Guyana Stock Exchange.

Although his advisory role to the company is unpaid, he holds share options in the firm, the value of which he has not disclosed.

Mr Lammy has declared his shareholding in the parliamentary register of members’ interests, but says it is below the level at which the value of shareholdings must be detailed. Under the current rules, any shareholding worth more than 15 per cent of a company’s share capital, or greater in monetary value of £70,000, must be declared in full.

When The Telegraph asked Mr Lammy how much his share options were worth, his spokesman declined to say, adding only: “David registered this in his members’ interests. The registration remains correct and up to date.”

When the company – which grows coconuts and spices – went public that year, Mr Lammy told the media in Guyana: “I hope Pomeroon’s initial public offering will excite all my fellow Guyanese people as much as it excites me.”

‘Potential conflict of interest’

In 2021, the company’s website listed among its partners UK Trade and Investment, now part of the Department for Business and Trade. A spokesman for the department said: “We hold no records of UKTI/DBT funding for Pomeroon Trading.”

Bob Seely, the Conservative candidate for Isle of Wight West, said: “This raises serious questions about a potential conflict of interest.

“If Labour wins the election, David Lammy will be in charge of Britain’s relations with foreign countries including Guyana and the public will expect complete transparency. Labour seems to expect that the standards it calls on for others should not apply to them.”

Play The Telegraph’s brilliant range of Puzzles - and feel brighter every day. Train your brain and boost your mood with PlusWord, the Mini Crossword, the fearsome Killer Sudoku and even the classic Cryptic Crossword.