A protester who threw glitter over Sir Keir Starmer and grabbed him ahead of his speech at the Labour Party conference has admitted he “crossed the line” and apologised.
Yaz Ashmawi said it was “horrible” he made the Labour leaderfeel in danger as he prepared to give his keynote address in Liverpool on Tuesday.
The incident reignited questions about the safety of politicians, particularly such a high-profile one who could be the next prime minister.
Speaking to the Politics Uncensored podcast on Fubar Radio, Mr Ashmawi said: “The thought that, even for a moment, he felt that he was in danger is horrible to think about.
“I think it is absolutely fine to pour glitter on someone and to go onto the stage. I just think it is physical contact that crossed the line there.”
He added: “The thing is, I put my hand on his arm and touched him and I think… politicians, they get a lot of death threats and they have a need to feel safe and I compromised that in that moment by touching him.”
“If Mr Starmer felt that he was threatened… I take responsibility for that, I want to take full responsibility for my actions.”
Asked whether he would like to apologise to the opposition leader, he said: “Yes, absolutely. I’m sorry for doing that.”
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Starmer protester taken into police van
Mr Ashmawi belongs to a group called People Demand Democracy, which is calling for reform of the electoral system.
Merseyside Police confirmed it arrested a 28-year-old man from Surrey on suspicion of assault, breach of the peace and causing public nuisance following the stunt.
On Thursday, the force said the man – who Mr Ashmawi has confirmed is him – has been bailed pending further inquiries.
Following the protest, Sir Keir removed his glitter-covered jacket and said: “If he thinks that bothers me, he doesn’t know me.”
The party leader subsequently said he was determined not to let an “idiot”get in the way of him delivering his speech.
He also told Sky News the incident “could have been a lot worse”.
Labour went on to advertise T-shirts for sale with the slogan: “Sparkle with Starmer.”
According to the US Department of Justice, Wolf Capital’s co-founder has pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy for luring 2,800 crypto investors into a Ponzi scheme.
Making Britain better off will be “at the forefront of the chancellor’s mind” during her visit to China, the Treasury has said amid controversy over the trip.
Rachel Reeves flew out on Friday after ignoring calls from opposition parties to cancel the long-planned venture because of market turmoil at home.
The past week has seen a drop in the pound and an increase in government borrowing costs, which has fuelled speculation of more spending cuts or tax rises.
The Tories have accused the chancellor of having “fled to China” rather than explain how she will fix the UK’s flatlining economy, while the Liberal Democrats say she should stay in Britain and announce a “plan B” to address market volatility.
However, Ms Reeves has rejected calls to cancel the visit, writing in The Times on Friday night that choosing not to engage with China is “no choice at all”.
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On Friday, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy defended the trip, telling Sky News that the climbing cost of government borrowing was a “global trend” that had affected many countries, “most notably the United States”.
“We are still on track to be the fastest growing economy, according to the OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] in Europe,” she told Anna Jones on Sky News Breakfast.
“China is the second-largest economy, and what China does has the biggest impact on people from Stockton to Sunderland, right across the UK, and it’s absolutely essential that we have a relationship with them.”
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Nandy defends Reeves’ trip to China
However, former prime minister Boris Johnson said Ms Reeves had “been rumbled” and said she should “make her way to HR and collect her P45 – or stay in China”.
While in the country’s capital, Ms Reeves will also visit British bike brand Brompton’s flagship store, which relies heavily on exports to China, before heading to Shanghai for talks with representatives across British and Chinese businesses.
It is the first UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) since 2019, building on the Labour government’s plan for a “pragmatic” policy with the world’s second-largest economy.
Sir Keir Starmer was the first British prime minister to meet with China’s President Xi Jinping in six years at the G20 summit in Brazil last autumn.
Relations between the UK and China have become strained over the last decade as the Conservative government spoke out against human rights abuses and concerns grew over national security risks.
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How much do we trade with China?
Navigating this has proved tricky given China is the UK’s fourth largest single trading partner, with a trade relationship worth almost £113bn and exports to China supporting over 455,000 jobs in the UK in 2020, according to the government.
During the Tories’ 14 years in office, the approach varied dramatically from the “golden era” under David Cameron to hawkish aggression under Liz Truss, while Rishi Sunak vowed to be “robust” but resisted pressure from his own party to brand China a threat.
The Treasury said a stable relationship with China would support economic growth and that “making working people across Britain secure and better off is at the forefront of the chancellor’s mind”.
Ahead of her visit, Ms Reeves said: “By finding common ground on trade and investment, while being candid about our differences and upholding national security as the first duty of this government, we can build a long-term economic relationship with China that works in the national interest.”