The Huffington Post
Pete Hegseth salutes during a ceremony at the US cemetery to commemorate the 82nd anniversary of D-Day. A government minister says he was left “horrified” by Pete Hegseth after he used a D-Day commemoration to accuse Nato countries of not doing enough to tackle illegal immigration . The US defence secretary said “European beaches are [being] stormed by different, dangerous ideologies” in a speech at the Normandy American Cemetery in north-west France. Hegseth was speaking on the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day landings, when nearly 4,500 Allied troops were killed attempting to liberate Nazi-occupied France on June 6, 1944. He said: “Sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different, dangerous ideologies. Beaches in Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria, boats and men arrive. “When will European capitals do something about that invasion or is it too late? I pray not, and I believe not.” Speaking to LBC, justice minister Jake Richards hit out at Hegseth, in a further sign of the worsening relations between the UK government and Donald Trump’s administration. Asked what he thought of the comments, he said: “I think it’s totally inappropriate and wrong. I’m actually horrified that someone would, at a moment that we’re there to remember those heroes who fell for all of us to enjoy the freedoms that we do today, you would launch some sort of political argument about illegal migration. “Of course, illegal migration, the small boats crisis, is one of the biggest issues that come up in my constituency. It’s one that this government hs to get a grip of over the next few years. “But when we’re discussing D-day and the history of those heroes, that’s not the moment for politics, it’s not the moment for those types of arguments, and I wish he hadn’t made them. “I don’t think that was an appropriate remark and I hope he regrets it too.” Meanwhile, deputy prime minister David Lammy also hit out at US vice-president JD Vance after he blamed the murder of Henry Nowak on the “mass invasion of migrants” . Eighteen-year-old Henry was handcuffed and arrested by police as he lay dying after being wrongly accused of racism by his killer, Vickram Digwa. Digwa, who is a British-born Sikh, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years at Southampton Crown Court last Monday. Appearing on Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg on BBC1, Lammy – who is friends with Vance – said: “I spoke to him yesterday and I told him he was wrong. This has got nothing to do with mass migration.” Subscribe to Commons People , the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster. Related... Pete Hegseth Branded 'Absolute Bum' Over Attack On Nato Countries At D-Day Commemoration David Lammy Says He Told JD Vance He Was 'Wrong' To Blame Immigration For Henry Nowak's Murder No.10 Accuses JD Vance Of 'Interfering In Our Democracy' In War Of Words Over Henry Nowak Murder
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