'Weak and wrong': UK government's silence over Trump's response to George Floyd death in US condemned by Labour

Raab says it would be a 'media distraction' to offer thoughts on US president's comments

Labour has accused Dominic Raab of being "weak and wrong" for refusing to condemn Donald Trump's statements in the wake of the death of a black man in police custody.

Fierce protests continued for a fifth night in the United States over the death of George Floyd, who died on Monday after a white police officer knelt on his neck whilst restraining him.

The foreign secretary said Mr Floyd's death was "very distressing" but refused to comment on a series of explosive statements from the US president, including a tweet where he said "looting leads to shooting".

But Lisa Nandy, the shadow foreign secretary, condemned his silence over Mr Trump's response.

She said: "This is weak and wrong. The world must not look away. #blacklivesmatter".

She later told The Independent: "The UK has a moral obligation to call out discrimination and injustice wherever we see - no matter where in the world it occurs.

"The foreign secretary’s refusal to unequivocally condemn the killing of George Floyd was wrong.

"In trying to avoid creating a ‘media distraction’, he risks undermining the UK’s commitment to upholding the fundamental principles of fairness and equality, both here and around the world."

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Alaistair Carmichael also criticised Mr Raab, saying: "The foreign secretary's cowardly failure to condemn the president's inflammatory language demonstrates a government incapable of standing up to Donald Trump.

“The government’s silence is shameful and indefensible."

Mr Trump threatened protesters outside the White House with the "most vicious dogs and most ominous weapons I have ever seen" if they breached the fence.

On Friday, Mr Trump tweeted: "Looting leads to shooting, and that's why a man was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Wednesday night - or look at what just happened in Louisville with 7 people shot. I don't want this to happen, and that's what the expression put out last night means."

In further social media posts on Saturday, Mr Trump praised the National Guard deployment in Minneapolis, declaring "No games!", and said police in New York City "must be allowed to do their job!".

Asked about his response, Mr Raab told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "I'm not going to start commenting on the commentary or indeed the press statements that other world leaders make, or indeed the US president.

"What I would say is that obviously, as you said, the footage of what happened to George Floyd was very distressing, as has been the scenes across America of the rioting and some of the violence.

"And what we do know is that the lead suspect has now been charged with murder, there is a federal review and we want to see de-escalation of all of those tensions and American come together."

He said it would be a "media distraction" to offer his thoughts on Mr Trump.