{"id":14951,"date":"2026-01-23T09:17:29","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T09:17:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=14951"},"modified":"2026-01-23T09:17:29","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T09:17:29","slug":"trumps-claims-about-nato-in-afghanistan-disappointing-and-wrong-minister-says-uk-politics-live-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=14951","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s claims about Nato in Afghanistan \u2018disappointing and wrong\u2019, minister says \u2013 UK politics live | Politics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"liveblog-body\">\n<article id=\"block-69733a8b8f087235e7ad4bee\" class=\"block dcr-1os4bxs\">\n<header class=\"dcr-88va8u\"\/>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><strong>Doug Beattie<\/strong>, a former leader of the Ulster Unionist party, an MLA (member of the legislative assembly in Northern Ireland) and a former soldier, has <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BeattieDoug\/status\/2014609564281311446\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">said<\/a> that Donald Trump is \u201cunhinged\u201d. Referring to Trump\u2019s comments about Nato and Afghanisation, he said:<\/p>\n<blockquote data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-154zxly\">\n<p><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 14\" style=\"fill:var(--block-quote-fill)\" class=\"dcr-scql1j\"><path d=\"M5.255 0h4.75c-.572 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941H0C.792 9.104 2.44 4.53 5.255 0Zm11.061 0H21c-.506 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941h-8.686c.902-4.837 2.485-9.411 5.3-13.941Z\"\/><\/svg>Trump really is an unhinged individual.<\/p>\n<p>457 UK military personnel KIA in Afghan.<br \/>Over 2,200 injured, of which over 620 seriously.<\/p>\n<p>They fought with courage and dedication and Trump cannot be allowed to trample on their memory<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<footer class=\"dcr-3i7iba\"><gu-island name=\"ShareButton\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"visible\" props=\"{&quot;size&quot;:&quot;xsmall&quot;,&quot;pageId&quot;:&quot;politics\/live\/2026\/jan\/23\/uk-politics-latest-news-updates-labour-keir-starmer-andy-burnham-nato-afghanistan&quot;,&quot;hash&quot;:&quot;block-69733a8b8f087235e7ad4bee&quot;,&quot;queryParams&quot;:{&quot;page&quot;:&quot;with:block-69733a8b8f087235e7ad4bee&quot;},&quot;webTitle&quot;:&quot;Trump\u2019s claims about Nato in Afghanistan \u2018disappointing and wrong\u2019, minister says \u2013 UK politics live&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;design&quot;:11,&quot;display&quot;:0,&quot;theme&quot;:0},&quot;context&quot;:&quot;LiveBlock&quot;}\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Trump\u2019s claims about Nato in Afghanistan \u2018disappointing and wrong\u2019, minister says \u2013 UK politics live&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/politics\/live\/2026\/jan\/23\/uk-politics-latest-news-updates-labour-keir-starmer-andy-burnham-nato-afghanistan?CMP=share_btn_url&amp;page=with%3Ablock-69733a8b8f087235e7ad4bee#block-69733a8b8f087235e7ad4bee\" type=\"button\" class=\"dcr-1mulgdf\">Share<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"-3 -3 30 30\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M19 16c1.675 0 3 1.35 3 3 0 1.675-1.325 3-3 3a2.97 2.97 0 0 1-2.975-3c0-.125 0-.275.025-.375L7.1 14.15a2.9 2.9 0 0 1-2.075.825C3.325 14.975 2 13.65 2 12a3.004 3.004 0 0 1 3.025-3.025c.775 0 1.5.35 2.075.875l8.95-4.475c-.025-.1-.025-.225-.025-.4A2.966 2.966 0 0 1 19 2c1.675 0 3 1.325 3 2.975C22 6.65 20.675 8 19 8c-.8 0-1.475-.325-2.05-.825l-8.975 4.45C8 11.7 8 11.825 8 12s0 .3-.025.375l8.975 4.45c.575-.5 1.25-.825 2.05-.825m0-12.8c-.975 0-1.8.775-1.8 1.775S18.025 6.8 19 6.8c1 0 1.825-.825 1.825-1.825S20 3.2 19 3.2m0 17.6c1 0 1.825-.825 1.825-1.8 0-1-.825-1.8-1.825-1.8-.975 0-1.8.8-1.8 1.8 0 .975.825 1.8 1.8 1.8\"\/><\/svg><\/a><\/gu-island><\/footer>\n<\/article>\n<aside data-ad-slot=\"true\" class=\"ad-slot-container ad-slot-desktop dcr-jko40v\"\/>\n<aside data-ad-slot=\"true\" class=\"ad-slot-container dcr-jko40v\"\/>\n<article id=\"block-69732bd98f087235e7ad4b86\" class=\"block dcr-1os4bxs\">\n<header class=\"dcr-88va8u\"\/>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Good morning. <strong>Donald Trump<\/strong> enjoys causing offence but the problem with having a reputation for being outrageous and provocative is that, as people get used to your outrages, you have to go further and further to continue to get a response. We are seeing an example of that this morning.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In his meandering ramble at Davos (a cavalcade of falsehoods, as explained by CNN <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2026\/01\/21\/politics\/trump-davos-nato-greenland-fact-check\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">here<\/a>), Trump repeated a criticism of Nato he has made before, saying: \u201cWhat we have gotten out of Nato is nothing, except to protect Europe from the Soviet Union and now Russia.\u201d This was so wrong that even <strong>Nigel Farage<\/strong> felt impelled <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/politics\/live\/2026\/jan\/21\/keir-starmer-donald-trump-greenland-uk-politics-live-latest-updates?page=with%3Ablock-6970fc518f08ca24ec41f2a1#block-6970fc518f08ca24ec41f2a1\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">to speak out and say so.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">But yesterday, in what could be seen as a retort to the point Farage made, <strong>Trump<\/strong> doubled down.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Trump told Fox News that he was not sure <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/nato\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Nato<\/a> allies would be there for the US \u201cif we ever needed them\u201d. He went on:<\/p>\n<blockquote data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-154zxly\">\n<p><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 14\" style=\"fill:var(--block-quote-fill)\" class=\"dcr-scql1j\"><path d=\"M5.255 0h4.75c-.572 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941H0C.792 9.104 2.44 4.53 5.255 0Zm11.061 0H21c-.506 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941h-8.686c.902-4.837 2.485-9.411 5.3-13.941Z\"\/><\/svg>We\u2019ve never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan \u2026 and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Even in an age where outrageous comments are pumped out by social media all the time, this hit a new low; in almost every country in the world, dishonouring soldiers who have died in conflict crosses a line.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">As <strong>Jamie Grierson<\/strong> reports, British politicians have been lining up to criticise the president.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"5fa1ded5-67a7-46ae-acc7-c0170d8b8e10\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\"><gu-island name=\"RichLinkComponent\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"idle\" props=\"{&quot;richLinkIndex&quot;:7,&quot;element&quot;:{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement&quot;,&quot;prefix&quot;:&quot;Related: &quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Trump prompts outrage with claim Nato troops avoided frontline in Afghanistan&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;5fa1ded5-67a7-46ae-acc7-c0170d8b8e10&quot;,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;inline&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jan\/23\/donald-trump-outrage-nato-troops-avoided-afghanistan-frontline&quot;},&quot;ajaxUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/api.nextgen.guardianapps.co.uk&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;design&quot;:11,&quot;display&quot;:0,&quot;theme&quot;:0},&quot;isInStarRatingVariant&quot;:false}\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">And even ministers seem to have been given licence to speak out. For the last year, Keir Starmer and his team have avoided criticising Trump in public over almost everything. But <strong>Stephen Kinnock<\/strong>, the health minister who was doing a media round for the government this morning, did feel confident speaking out \u2013 even if he did not really channel the outrage many Britons will feel. Kinnock told Sky News:<\/p>\n<blockquote data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-154zxly\">\n<p><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 14\" style=\"fill:var(--block-quote-fill)\" class=\"dcr-scql1j\"><path d=\"M5.255 0h4.75c-.572 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941H0C.792 9.104 2.44 4.53 5.255 0Zm11.061 0H21c-.506 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941h-8.686c.902-4.837 2.485-9.411 5.3-13.941Z\"\/><\/svg>President Trump\u2019s comments are deeply disappointing, there is no other way to say that. I don\u2019t know really why he said them. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any basis for him to make those comments.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Kinnock explained:<\/p>\n<blockquote data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-154zxly\">\n<p><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 14\" style=\"fill:var(--block-quote-fill)\" class=\"dcr-scql1j\"><path d=\"M5.255 0h4.75c-.572 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941H0C.792 9.104 2.44 4.53 5.255 0Zm11.061 0H21c-.506 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941h-8.686c.902-4.837 2.485-9.411 5.3-13.941Z\"\/><\/svg>Many, many British soldiers and many soldiers from other European Nato allies gave their lives in support of American missions, American-led missions in places like Afghanistan and Iraq \u2026<\/p>\n<p>I think anybody who seeks to criticise what they have done and the sacrifices that they make is plainly wrong. I think the reaction to President Trump\u2019s comments are very clear from right across the political spectrum, and I think the British public feels very strongly about the need to defend our armed forces and to support them in the incredibly important work that they do in the dangerous and turbulent world in which we live.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Starmer himself has not commented yet, but Kinnock said he expected the PM would raise this with Trump directly. \u201cHe will, I\u2019m sure, be raising this issue with the president,\u201d Kinnock told LBC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Here is the agenda for the day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>10am:<\/em> Peers resume their debate on the assisted dying bill. As <strong>Jessica Elgot<\/strong> reports, the bill supporters think filibustering by opponents of the bill mean the legislation has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/society\/2026\/jan\/22\/assisted-dying-bill-near-impossible-pass-house-of-lords\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">almost no chance of passing <\/a>before the end of this parliamentary session.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>Morning:<\/em> Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, is on a visit in Essex. Separately, Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, is on a visit in Surrey.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>11.30am:<\/em> Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>Early afternoon:<\/em> Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, holds a press conference about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2026\/jan\/19\/glasgow-hospital-contaminated-water-system-fatal-infections-scottish-health-board\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">the hospital infections scandal.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (between 10am and 3pm), or message me on social media. I can\u2019t read all the messages BTL, but if you put \u201cAndrew\u201d in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/2024\/nov\/13\/the-guardian-no-longer-post-on-x-twitter-elon-musk\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">given up posting from its official accounts on X<\/a>, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can\u2019t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.<\/p>\n<footer class=\"dcr-3i7iba\"><gu-island name=\"ShareButton\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"visible\" props=\"{&quot;size&quot;:&quot;xsmall&quot;,&quot;pageId&quot;:&quot;politics\/live\/2026\/jan\/23\/uk-politics-latest-news-updates-labour-keir-starmer-andy-burnham-nato-afghanistan&quot;,&quot;hash&quot;:&quot;block-69732bd98f087235e7ad4b86&quot;,&quot;queryParams&quot;:{&quot;page&quot;:&quot;with:block-69732bd98f087235e7ad4b86&quot;},&quot;webTitle&quot;:&quot;Trump\u2019s claims about Nato in Afghanistan \u2018disappointing and wrong\u2019, minister says \u2013 UK politics live&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;design&quot;:11,&quot;display&quot;:0,&quot;theme&quot;:0},&quot;context&quot;:&quot;LiveBlock&quot;}\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Trump\u2019s claims about Nato in Afghanistan \u2018disappointing and wrong\u2019, minister says \u2013 UK politics live&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/politics\/live\/2026\/jan\/23\/uk-politics-latest-news-updates-labour-keir-starmer-andy-burnham-nato-afghanistan?CMP=share_btn_url&amp;page=with%3Ablock-69732bd98f087235e7ad4b86#block-69732bd98f087235e7ad4b86\" type=\"button\" class=\"dcr-1mulgdf\">Share<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"-3 -3 30 30\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M19 16c1.675 0 3 1.35 3 3 0 1.675-1.325 3-3 3a2.97 2.97 0 0 1-2.975-3c0-.125 0-.275.025-.375L7.1 14.15a2.9 2.9 0 0 1-2.075.825C3.325 14.975 2 13.65 2 12a3.004 3.004 0 0 1 3.025-3.025c.775 0 1.5.35 2.075.875l8.95-4.475c-.025-.1-.025-.225-.025-.4A2.966 2.966 0 0 1 19 2c1.675 0 3 1.325 3 2.975C22 6.65 20.675 8 19 8c-.8 0-1.475-.325-2.05-.825l-8.975 4.45C8 11.7 8 11.825 8 12s0 .3-.025.375l8.975 4.45c.575-.5 1.25-.825 2.05-.825m0-12.8c-.975 0-1.8.775-1.8 1.775S18.025 6.8 19 6.8c1 0 1.825-.825 1.825-1.825S20 3.2 19 3.2m0 17.6c1 0 1.825-.825 1.825-1.8 0-1-.825-1.8-1.825-1.8-.975 0-1.8.8-1.8 1.8 0 .975.825 1.8 1.8 1.8\"\/><\/svg><\/a><\/gu-island><\/p>\n<p>Updated at\u00a0<time datetime=\"2026-01-23T09:16:36.000Z\" data-locale=\"en-gb\" title=\"Friday, 23 January 2026 at 09:16 Greenwich Mean Time\">09.16 GMT<\/time><\/p>\n<\/footer>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<p>#Trumps #claims #Nato #Afghanistan #disappointing #wrong #minister #politics #live #Politics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Doug Beattie, a former leader &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14951"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14951"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14951\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}