WATCH: Trump must “take responsibility” for Capitol violence, says Starmer

Keir Starmer has called on President Trump to “take responsibility” for the events caused by his supporters storming the US Capitol to violently disrupt the electoral count producing Joe Biden’s victory.

The Labour leader said: “President Trump has to take responsibility. What happened was appalling. It wasn’t protest – it was an attack on democracy. And responsibility lays with President Trump. No doubt about that.

“This is the culmination of years of the politics of hate and division, and this is where it leads. That is why we all have to make the case for tolerance, for respect, and changing that culture.

Starmer, who is known to be an enthusiastic supporter of Biden and his approach to campaigning in the recent election, concluded: “This is where hatred and division gets you, and it’s a very, very bad place.”

In a video that has been deleted by Twitter, Trump told his supporters yesterday to “go home in peace” – but he also repeated false claims that the presidential election was “stolen”, and said: “We love you. You’re very special.”

Following months of false accusations against the US Democrats and after encouraging Republicans to “fight” and “be wild” this week, Trump has now said “there will be an orderly transition on January 20th”.

The Labour leader was speaking to reporters today from a GP surgery in London, where he emphasised that his party would support the national effort to vaccinate the country as quickly as possible in the Covid crisis.

Labour has joined with the TUC to launch a ‘Let’s Vaccinate Britain’ campaign, with the aim of signing up thousands of supporters to the NHS volunteer responders programme and urging party members to promote vaccination.