Labour<\/a> party, as well as senior Labour figures including the Welsh leader, Eluned Morgan, and chair of the foreign affairs committee, Emily Thornberry, have called for a more robust approach to Trump\u2019s actions. On Monday, Thornberry said: \u201cWe need to be clearer that this has been a breach of international law and we do not agree that they should have done it.\u201d<\/p>\nStarmer and the foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, have refrained from saying that the Venezuela attack was a breach of international law. But the prime minister has said that only Greenland and Denmark should decide the territory\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
Hermer emphasised Britain\u2019s own commitment to the international rules-based order, despite challenges from countries such as Russia, adding that \u201cthrowing our muscle around or just kind of flouting rules\u201d would not be in the national interest.<\/p>\n
The attorney general also argued Labour was protecting fundamental rights at home which Reform UK would erode, and launched a staunch defence of Keir Starmer, suggesting he had been misunderstood.<\/p>\n
Starmer and the foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, have refrained from saying that the Venezuela attack was a breach of international law. Photograph: Benjamin Cremel\/AP<\/p>\n
The prime minister\u2019s attempts to start the new year with a focus on the cost of living have been overshadowed by situations overseas \u2013 in Venezuela, Greenland and Ukraine \u2013 which Hermer acknowledged were challenging.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWhat\u2019s the response of a country like the UK that has always been a leader on international law? Is it to say, you know what, others might be trying to flout it, so let\u2019s consider all bets are off, and let\u2019s just see what we can get away with, throwing our muscle around or just kind of flouting rules?<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think it is. I think the correct approach is to actually double down on this country\u2019s commitment. Our national interest is served by the international rules-based order. It gives that degree of certainty and led to greater prosperity.\u201d<\/p>\n
He argued that there was a distinction to be drawn between the UK\u2019s commitment to complying with international law itself, and its deployment of \u201cstatecraft\u201d \u2013 in this case diplomacy \u2013 on what other countries chose to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will be a range of factors for any leader with any ally, about choosing when, if at all, to call out breaches of international law \u2026 There will be obvious pros and obvious cons. But in a complicated and dangerous world, it is right that statecraft plays a role in that.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the interview, Hermer drew a firm dividing line between the government securing the rights of people at home \u2013 including for workers, renters and those affected by the Hillsborough law \u2013 and the threat posed by the prospect of a Reform government.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no doubt that Reform would take away rights from working people. They\u2019d undermine the rule of law,\u201d he said. \u201cI do have very real concerns about what type of prime minister Nigel Farage would be, the extent to which he would respect the democratic norms.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard Hermer: \u2018There will be a range of factors for any leader with any ally, about choosing when, if at all, to call out breaches of international law.\u2019 Photograph: Linda Nylind\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
Both Reform and the Conservatives have said they would withdraw from the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) to enable them to reduce illegal migration, a important issue for voters. Starmer is working with other European leaders to modernise its interpretation, so they can take tougher action to protect borders.<\/p>\n
Hermer defended the ECHR, saying that pulling out would leave the UK in \u201csplendid isolation\u201d. That would be \u201ccompletely counterproductive\u201d to tackling illegal migration, which required international cooperation.<\/p>\n
While most British people did not have a problem with legal immigration or people fleeing persecution, he acknowledged concerns about illegal arrivals. \u201cWe\u2019re not a country that wants to be taken for a ride,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Since he was appointed to the role last summer, Hermer has faced criticism for representing controversial clients such as Gerry Adams during his career as a human rights barrister, even though he was following the legal \u201ccab rank\u201d rule.<\/p>\n
He explained: \u201cThere is a system of justice here that requires you to go and defend an individual, whether you like them or don\u2019t, whether you think they\u2019re repugnant or you think they\u2019re an angel.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou get into that mindset. So it doesn\u2019t matter whether your client is the worst of the worst, the best of the best, you get on in accordance with your professional duty. That\u2019s the job. I had 30 years of the bar, I represented thousands of people.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, he criticised his Tory shadow, Lord Wolfson, for practising law full-time, including representing the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich \u2013 who is under sanctions \u2013 alongside his role, raising potential conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n
Richard Hermer: \u2018I have no doubt that Reform would take away rights from working people. They\u2019d undermine the rule of law.\u2019 Photograph: Linda Nylind\/The Guardian<\/p>\n
Hermer, one of Starmer\u2019s closest friends in politics, said he understood why after a decade of austerity, Boris Johnson\u2019s rule-breaking and Liz Truss\u2019s handling of the economy so many people felt deeply sceptical about politics.<\/p>\n
On the table in his parliamentary office was a copy of the speeches of Edward H Levi, appointed US attorney general by Gerald Ford after the Watergate scandal and given the onerous task of restoring legitimacy to his discredited department.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really understand why it is that people mistrust politicians \u2026 I completely accept it is reasonable for people not to just rely on what we\u2019re saying, that things are going to get better, and to have a degree of scepticism about that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I am convinced that as we go into this year, we\u2019re going to be able to demonstrate to people that we are different, because we are going to be able to start showing that we are matching our promises with action.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cNone of this is to suggest that life is not still incredibly hard for people 18 months into this government.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Starmer\u2019s approval ratings at record lows, and regular speculation over his leadership, Hermer admitted frustration over how he was seen by the public \u2013 but insisted he could still turn it around. He had \u201cabsolutely no doubt\u201d Starmer would be in office by the next election.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m conscious as someone who\u2019s known him for 30 years, that for many people, his public image doesn\u2019t reflect the real person. From the off, I recognised this was someone who was \u2013 and remains \u2013 an incredibly decent person.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m convinced he can turn it around. We need to show people more of the real Keir, because it is so genuine \u2026 We need to put him in situations where people can see that fundamental decency and kindness.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nations are right to consider diplomatic relations when deciding whether to \u201ccall out\u201d potential breaches of international law,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":361557,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[49,50,51,47,52,48],"class_list":{"0":"post-361556","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361556","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361556"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361556\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/361557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}