Bridget Phillipson responds to JD Vance calling UK an 'Islamist country'
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Bridget Phillipson responds to JD Vance calling the UK an "Islamist country" under Labour
Bridget Phillipson has told The News Agents she was "genuinely mystified" after hearing JD Vance – the man recently chosen to be Donald Trump's running mate in the upcoming November US elections – call the UK an "Islamist country".
Speaking at the National Conservatism conference earlier in July, ahead of the Republican National Conference this week in Milwaukee, Vance – most famous for his best-selling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy – publicly pondered on what the first "truly islamist" country that would get a nuclear weapon would be.
"Maybe it's Iran, maybe Pakistan already kind of counts... Maybe it's the UK since Labour just took over" he said.
Lammy reportedly has good relations with JD Vance, Trump’s VP pick.
— Antonello Guerrera (@antoguerrera) July 16, 2024
But here is what Vance said about Labour 2 weeks ago:
“What is the 1st truly Islamist country that will get a nuclear weapon?
Maybe it's actually the UK, since Labour just took over” 👀pic.twitter.com/1nGATPnnxE
Speaking exclusively to The News Agents, the MP for Houghton and Sunderland South told Lewis Goodall and Jon Sopel she was "really unclear why he would have said that."
Pressed on what this means for UK/US relations going forward, if Trump and Vance enter the White House after the upcoming election, Phillipson said: "We work together irrespective of personalities."
Since winning the election, Phillipson has taken on the role of Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities.
Today Labour outlined their priorities in government via King Charles in the King's speech. Missing from the speech was a pledge to end the two-child benefit cap. It's a policy first introduced by the Conservatives, but Labour have faced a lot of heat for not pledging to end the cap in their manifesto.
"Is it desirable to lift the two child cap?" Jon repeatedly asked.
"There will be a range of measures that we will bring forward in order to bring down the numbers of child poverty" Phillipson said.
Listen to the Bridget Phillipson interview in full on the latest episode of The News Agents.
