Trump Official Mocks Starmer’s Chief Of Staff With Bizarre Christmas Post

An official from the Trump administration appeared to mock the prime minister and his chief of staff after banning two Britons from the US.

Imran Ahmed and Clare Melford, two British-based executives who campaign against disinformation, had their American visas revoked on Christmas Eve.

This was seen as a particular blow to the Labour government due to Ahmed’s links to Keir Starmer’s top team.

Ahmed, a former adviser to cabinet minister Hilary Benn, is chief executive of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, which was set up in 2017 by Morgan McSweeney, who is now the No.10 chief of staff.

But the US secretary of state Marco Rubio banned Ahmed and Melford for supposedly leading “efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose”.

Then America’s under secretary of state for public diplomacy, Sarah B Rogers, celebrated the move with a slightly less diplomatic move.

She shared a post on X which read, “Hey McSweeney. Merry Christmas”, and featured an edited photo of Rogers with a Christmas hat on.

Rogers added a further festive touch by adding a Christmas tree emoji.

The Trump official said the ban comes as part of a “red line” for the US and the “extraterritorial censorship of Americans”.

Rogers had already taken aim at the UK’s Online Safety Act in interview with GB News at the start of the month, claiming: “To censor Americans in America is a deal breaker.”

When news of the visa ban broke, a UK government spokesperson said: “The UK is fully committed to upholding the right to free speech.

“While every country has the right to set its own visa rules, we support the laws and institutions which are working to keep the Internet free from the most harmful content.

“Social media platforms should not be used to disseminate child sex abuse material, incite hatred and violence, or spread fake information and videos for that purpose.”

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Senior Labour MP Accuses Trump Of ‘Undermining Free Speech’ After Starmer Ally Banned By US

A senior Labour MP has hit out at the Donald Trump administration after an ally of Keir Starmer’s top aide was banned from the United States.

Imran Ahmed is one of two British anti-disinformation campaigners whose US visas are being revoked.

Ahmed, who is also a former adviser to cabinet minister Hilary Benn, is chief executive of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, which was set up in 2017 by Morgan McSweeney, who is now the No.10 chief of staff.

He has been sanctioned along with Clare Melford, another British-based executive who runs the Global Disinformation Index.

In all, five Europeans have been banned after Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, accused them of leading “efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose”.

In a post on X, he said: “The Trump administration will no longer tolerate these egregious acts of extraterritorial censorship.”

But Chi Onwurah, the Labour MP and chair of the Commons technology committee, said: “Banning people because you disagree with what they say undermines the free speech the administration claims to seek.

“We desperately need a wide ranging debate on whether and how social media should be regulated in the interests of the people.

“Imran Ahmed gave evidence to the select committee’s inquiry into social media, algorithms and harmful content, and he was an articulate advocate for greater regulation and accountability.

“Banning him won’t shut down the debate, too many people are being harmed by the spread of digital hate.”

A UK government spokesperson said: “The UK is fully committed to upholding the right to free speech.

“While every country has the right to set its own visa rules, we support the laws and institutions which are working to keep the Internet free from the most harmful content.

“Social media platforms should not be used to disseminate child sex abuse material, incite hatred and violence, or spread fake information and videos for that purpose.”

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Keir Starmer Calls Out Donald Trump’s ‘Quiet, Piggy’ Insult

Keir Starmer has just claimed he would “call out” someone for using Donald Trump’s “quiet, piggy” insult.

The prime minister was on ITV’s Loose Women to promote the government’s new scheme to halve violence against women and girls by calling out misogyny when panellist Myleene Klass asked Starmer about the US president’s remarks.

She said: “You know someone very close, one of our closest allies shall we say, recently used the language – ‘quiet, quiet, piggy’. Would you allow for someone to speak to your daughter, your wife, your colleagues in the way that Trump spoke to a female journalist?”

The US president caused an international stir in November when he insulted a female reporter after she asked about his name being mentioned in newly released emails sent by the dead convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The prime minister replied: “No, I wouldn’t. I absolutely wouldn’t.”

“Would you class it as misogyny, is that something you would be looking at?” Klass asked.

“I would call it out,” he said. “But I would also say, part of the stuff we’re doing with teenagers is talking about behaviours they might not think are problematic but in fact are.”

Klass said: “It’s not just online, they’re learning from the top.”

Starmer has been in a precarious diplomatic situation ever since Trump returned to office at the start of the year.

He has tried to maintain the strong international relationship between the US and the UK while dodging over their ideological differences.

The prime minister has also tried to call out misogyny repeatedly in recent weeks, saying his female cabinet colleagues such as chancellor Rachel Reeves had been victim to it.

Meanwhile, Trump has been accused of ratcheting up his insults towards female reporters in recent weeks, angrily claiming one was “stupid” in November and another is “ugly, inside and out”.

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