By Victoria Mckeown-
British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. has condemned the “disgraceful scenes” in the US where protesters have stormed Congress.
Supporters of President Donald Trump subjected the Capitol building to a violent attack, where lawmakers met to confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s win.
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The British PM said the U.S “stands for democracy around the world”, and it was “vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power”.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer described the violent protests as a “direct attack on democracy”.
And Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, called the events “utterly horrifying”.
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President Trump’s friend, known supporter, and leader of Reform UK – formerly the Brexit Party – Nigel Farage tweeted: “Storming Capitol Hill is wrong. The protesters must leave.”
Congress’s effort to count the Electoral College votes that gave President-elect Joe Biden his election victory deteriorated into chaos and violence on Wednesday, after pro-Trump protesters stormed the Capitol.
The breach of the building occurred after President Donald Trump called on supporters at a rally in downtown Washington to march to the Capitol complex. One person has died, according to multiple law enforcement sources.
Earlier, a joint session of Congress had been counting and confirming electoral college votes from the US election in November.
After a rally held by President Trump in Washington DC, a large crowd of his supporters made their way to the Capitol and some managed to storm the building.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said there was “no justification for these violent attempts to frustrate the lawful and proper transition of power”, while Home Secretary Priti Patel called the scenes “unacceptable and undemocratic”.
She added: “There is no justification for this violence and Donald Trump must condemn it.”
Her Conservative colleague, and former Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt directly addressed President Trump for telling the crowd to march on Congress, tweeting: “He shames American democracy tonight and causes its friends anguish – but he is not America.”
Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner said: “The violence that Donald Trump has unleashed is terrifying, and the Republicans who stood by him have blood on their hands.”
And shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said the events were “the legacy of a politics of hate that pits people against each other and threatens the foundations of democracy”.
Meanwhile, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey has defended the prime minister’s response to the riots.
Asked on ITV’s Peston programme why Mr Johnson hadn’t criticised Mr Trump, she said: “The prime minister has been clear tonight that we need a peaceful and orderly transition.”
Ms Coffey added that events in the U.S were an “reminder that democracy is something precious – and will only continue to thrive as long as we protect institutions that make this country important and not demean each other when the majority of what we want to achieve is similar outcomes”.
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