Oh, doesn’t this just put the cat among the pigeons? Baroness Jones sent a ripple of excitement through the House of Lords on Monday, when she asked a question about Donald Trump that left her Labour counterpart with a diplomatic balancing act.
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Jones, the former Green MP, was made a Peer in 2019. She had previously served as the only elected Parliamentary official for the party, before switching chambers. She famously backed Brexit ahead of the referendum, diverging from other left-leaning officials.
However, she is unwavering in her suspicion of the President. The 78-year-old assumed office for the second time on Monday, following victory in the 2024 US Elections. Days before returning to the White House, Donald Trump was criminally charged.
However, his attempts to cover-up hush money payments to a porn star didn’t fetch him any jail time, leaving him free to pick up where he left off in the Oval Office. Baroness Jones, however, isn’t so willing to brush all this under the carpet.
Awkward! Labour peer forced to walk diplomatic tightrope
She asked Labour’s Lord Leong if the government would consider taking ‘extra security precautions’ when dealing with Donald Trump, given that he is now ‘a convicted felon’. A solitary ‘here here’ was raised by a Peer sat behind Jones.
Taken aback by the delicate situation he found himself in, Leong waded a careful path – and declared he was in disagreement with the Baroness. He stated that Trump ‘won a massive mandate’, and vowed to worked constructively with the 47th President.
“I don’t agree with her. Look. We have to respect President Trump. He won an enormous victory and earned a massive mandate from the American people. So that’s democracy, and we will work with the incoming administration.” | Lord Leong