Sadiq Khan demands Keir Starmer 'calls out' Trump branding him a 'racist, sexist homophobe'… despite Labour extending olive branch ahead of presidential election

Sadiq Khan has urged Keir Starmer to 'call out' Donald Trump branding him a 'racist, sexist homophobe'.

The London Mayor risked derailing Labour's efforts to extend an olive branch ahead of the presidential election in November.

With the race between Mr Trump and Joe Biden too close to call, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy has been insisting Labour could work with the Republican if he wins.

Mr Lammy suggested that the former president's views on NATO were 'misunderstood'.

However, Mr Khan told Politico that the UK should not be 'rolling out a red carpet' for Mr Trump - with whom he has a long-running feud.

Sadiq Khan has urged Keir Starmer to 'call out' Donald Trump branding him a 'racist, sexist homophobe'

The London Mayor risked derailing Labour's efforts to extend an olive branch to Mr Trump (pictured) ahead of the presidential election in November

'I'm quite clear, I understand on Trump,' the mayor said. 'He's a racist. He's a sexist. He's a homophobe. And it's very important, particularly when you've got a special relationship, that you treat them as a best mate.

'If my best mate was a racist, or a sexist or a homophobe, I'd call him out and I'd explain to him why those views are wrong.'

Mr Khan added: 'I worry about a Donald Trump presidency,'

'You know, I've been speaking to governors from America. I've been speaking to mayors from America. Of course, we'll have a relationship whoever the president is. But we shouldn't be literally rolling out a red carpet for a state visit.

'It's really important that we of course, have good relations with Democrats and Republicans. But I lost count of the amount of Republicans I've spoken to who are also worried about a Trump presidency.'

Mr Khan also taunted Mr Trump about his own election victory, when he trounced Tory rival Susan Hall to get a third term last week.

The mayor said: 'Listen, I've got more latitude as a mayor to just to say what I feel about Trump, and I make this point. He called me a 'stone cold loser'. I've won three. How many has he won?'

During his first term in office, Mr Trump flirted with the idea of leaving NATO and repeatedly pushed for European nations to increase their own spending.

Earlier this year, he suggested a US under his leadership would not defend NATO allies who failed to meet the target of spending 2 per cent of GDP – a measure of the size of the economy – on defence.

Mr Lammy described Mr Trump as 'racist' and a 'Nazi sympathiser' in 2017, saying he would protest on the streets if the then-president visited the UK.

But on a visit to Washington earlier this month he said that if he became foreign secretary he would put the UK national interest first and 'where I can find common cause with Donald Trump, I will find common cause'.

With the race between Mr Trump and Joe Biden too close to call, shadow foreign secretary David Lammy (pictured) has been insisting Labour could work with the Republican if he wins

Keir Starmer could need to deal with Mr Trump if they both win the looming elections in the Uk and the US

In a speech at the Hudson Institute think tank, Mr Lammy said the former president was 'a leader whose attitude to European security is often misunderstood'.

'I do not believe that he is arguing that the United States should abandon Europe,' Mr Lammy said.

'He wants Europeans to do more to ensure a better-defended Europe.

'Were his words in office a little shocking? Yes, they were.

'Would I have used them? Probably not.

'But US spending on defence actually grew under President Trump, as did the defence spending of the wider alliance during his tenure.'