Remarks made by North Dorset MP Simon Hoare in the House of Commons on Monday 19th January were picked up by news outlets across the world, prompting widespread international coverage referencing ‘North Dorset’ in connection with calls to confront Donald Trump more robustly.
Speaking exclusively to The BV shortly before heading in to chair a select committee, Mr Hoare warned that the former US president was posing serious risks to international stability, describing him as ‘demeaning and debasing the dignity of the office of president.’
‘The erratic nature of his behaviour, the unpredictability … if it ever was a joke, the joke has worn thin,’ he added.
Mr Hoare said Mr Trump’s actions were forcing difficult choices for the UK and its allies. ‘This is crunch time. We cannot just presume that things will go back to normal. He’s unrestrainable. He seems to be listening to nobody.’
He warned that long-established alliances were under strain. ‘I think the foundations of NATO are being shaken. Enormous comfort is being given to Putin and to anybody else who wants to see an inward-looking, infighting, destabilised Western alliance. These are dangerous times.’
Describing Mr Trump’s approach to global politics, Mr Hoare said: ‘He’s not a politician. He’s a property-dealing hustler who sees the price of everything and the value of nothing and thinks that everything can be bought, even if the owner doesn’t want to sell.’
Referencing recent remarks over Greenland, he warned of the consequences of abandoning international norms. ‘Once principles have been breached, you’re never going to restore them,’ he said. ‘If we tolerate actions against soveriegn nations which we wouldn’t tolerate from another country – just because it’s America – at best we’ll be seen as cowards, at worst as bloody hypocrites.’
He told MPs that the President was ‘thin-skinned’, driven by ego, and motivated by public embarrassment rather than negotiation. Mr Hoare questioned whether symbolic measures – including the King’s proposed state visit to the US and participation in the World Cup – should go ahead, arguing that the UK may need to ‘fight fire with fire’.
The remarks came amid mounting concern in Westminster following Mr Trump’s renewed claims over Greenland and warnings of potential tariffs against NATO allies, including the UK.
Referring to the proposed state visit linked to celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence, Mr Hoare told The BV: ‘I do not see how the government could advise the King that a state visit should go ahead – it would be seen as implicitly endorsing the presidential equivalent of Al Capone.’
Liberal Democrat MP Luke Taylor echoed Mr Hoare’s comments, telling the House that the UK was ‘not dealing with a rational man’ and suggesting that withdrawing from the tournament could be a way of demonstrating political resolve.
The Government has so far played down the prospect of any boycott. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said continued engagement had already led to changes in US tariff proposals, while senior Labour figures urged calm and coordination with international allies rather than escalation.
