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Spectator
2 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Did No. 10 clear Lord Hermer's ‘Nazi jibe' speech?
Another day, another bit of bad press for the Labour party. Attorney General Lord Hermer sparked outrage when he compared political threats to leave the ECHR to the Nazis during a speech to the Royal Institute for International Affairs (RUSI) defence think tank on Thursday – and has since acknowledged, rather begrudgingly, that his 'choice of words was clumsy'. You don't say! Mr S is rather curious about who exactly gave the rather controversial phraseology the green light – if it was approved at all. The speech appeared on the official government website after it was delivered, with the Attorney General's baffling comparison retained in black and white. The questionable passage reads:
Spectator
3 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Hermer admits Nazi comments were ‘clumsy'
As if the Attorney General hadn't proven his ability for conjuring up negative headlines enough, Lord Hermer took it upon himself on Thursday to compare political threats to leave the ECHR to the Nazis. Speaking to the Royal Institute for International Affairs (RUSI) defence think tank, Hermer earnestly told his audience: 'The claim that international law is fine as far as it goes, but can be put aside when conditions change, is a claim that was made in the early 1930s by 'realist' jurists in Germany.' But today, after a momentous backlash, Hermer has finally apologised for his, er, 'clumsy' language. You can say that again! Now Hermer's spokesperson has issued a short statement on the Attorney General's comments, noting brusquely that: He rejects the characterisation of his speech by the Conservatives. He acknowledges though that his choice of words was clumsy and regrets having used this reference. It's hardly a full-throated apology, eh? The row-back comes after the Conservatives and Reform UK politicians alike slammed his remarks – with Nigel Farage fuming that the comments were 'disgraceful' while Tory leader Kemi Badenoch's spokesperson noted that 'it was ironic' that Lord Hermer had said he hoped to depolarise the debate and 'simultaneously called everyone he disagreed with Nazis'.
Spectator
3 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Lord Hermer's ‘Nazi jibe' at Reform won't work
It is an axiom of political debate that once you compare your opponents to Hitler's Nazis you have definitely lost the argument. That golden rule seems to have escaped the notice of the Attorney General Lord Hermer, who, in a speech to the Royal Institute for International Affairs (RUSI) defence think tank did just that. Hermer, a close friend and fellow human rights lawyer colleague of Sir Keir Starmer, told RUSI that both Nigel Farage's Reform UK and Kemi Badenoch's Tories were echoing Nazi ideology that placed national law above international agreements with their threats to withdraw Britain from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR):
