Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has publicly affirmed his commitment to treating journalists with respect, following an incident where US President Donald Trump insulted a reporter by calling her 'piggy'.
Diplomatic Discomfort Over Trump's Remark
Footage emerged last week showing President Trump using the slur against journalist Catherine Lucey aboard Air Force One. The exchange occurred as the president fielded questions concerning his relationship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
While travelling to the G20 summit in South Africa, Sir Keir addressed the controversy with reporters. The Prime Minister declined to explicitly state whether Mr Trump's comment was appropriate, but he firmly outlined his own approach to media relations.
"I haven't actually seen that footage but I've had it explained to me," Sir Keir stated. "President Trump can speak for himself so I'm not going to speak for him, but my approach is that I will always be respectful to journalists, whatever questions they're putting to me."
Cabinet Minister Condemns 'Outdated' Language
The Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, offered a more direct criticism of the US leader. In an interview with ITV on Wednesday, Mr Streeting asserted that such language "belongs in the history books".
"We need to move on from that kind of language and behaviour towards women," he said. "For all the faults in British politics, I would be surprised if any leading politician in our country ever spoke to a woman in our press lobby like that."
G20 Summit Overshadowed by Controversies
The gathering of world leaders in Johannesburg on November 22-23 was already facing disruption due to President Trump's boycott. The US leader justified his absence with widely rejected claims about the persecution of white people in South Africa.
Furthermore, multilateral forums like the G20 have been consistently challenged by President Trump's isolationist foreign policy. This includes imposing tariffs on allied and rival nations alike, alongside efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine that would sideline Kyiv and its Western allies.
When questioned about the US president's decision to skip the summit, Sir Keir emphasised the importance of international cooperation. He told reporters, "I think it's really important to be there and to talk to other partners and allies so we can get on with the discussions around global issues that have to be addressed."
