Commenting on the violence by Trump supporters in Washington DC, Luke Pollard said:

“What has taken place in Washington DC is nothing short of an assault on the American democratic process, and a concerted and dangerous attempt to overturn the democratic will of the American people and disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.

 

“I stand in solidarity with democratic legislators, their staff and the American people who have democratically elected their next government. Joe Biden won the election fairly. Donald Trump is not only a bad loser, he is polluting the well of democratic politics the world over.

 

“There is no place for hate in politics. By seeking to overturn the legitimate outcome of a fair election and stoke division and discord, President Trump bears direct responsibility. His reckless and irresponsible actions should be condemned by other democratic leaders, including the UK government.

 

“The violence we have witnessed is not the America I know and it needs to be a wakeup call to rid populism from our politics, to reassert the value of truth and decency in democracy and end the lies and hate of the past years. I look forward to President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris taking their offices in less than a fortnight and bringing to an end a truly shameful period of US politics.”