David Lammy

David Lammy left the government when Andy Burnham became prime minister on 20 July 2026. He was then Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, having previously served as Foreign Secretary.

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Lammy defended the agreement providing for the transfer of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while retaining use of the strategic Diego Garcia base for a very long period. Opponents accused the government of surrendering a strategic asset and raised concerns relating to China and the cost.

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Viral posts claimed that Lammy had personally spent more than half a million pounds on food and drink as Foreign Secretary. Fact-checking established that the amount represented expenditure across the Foreign Office's extensive network, not his private expenses.

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After warning that US aid cuts could constitute a serious strategic mistake, Lammy defended the British decision a few weeks later to reduce its own aid budget to fund increased defence spending. The sequence triggered accusations of inconsistency and criticism within Labour and the humanitarian sector.

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While Foreign Secretary, Lammy faced a threatened legal challenge concerning a proposed reciprocal secondment scheme between the FCDO and companies such as Shell and BAE Systems. Critics cited risks of conflicts of interest, undue influence and incompatibility with the Civil Service Code.

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As Justice Secretary, Lammy prepared and subsequently announced a substantial reduction in the use of juries to address the record Crown Court backlog. An initial version contemplated restricting jury trials to a much narrower range of cases; following strong opposition, the proposal was scaled back towards a threshold close to the Leveson recommendations.

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Lammy had to announce that 91 prisoners had been released in error between April and late October 2025, following 262 errors recorded over the previous year. Several highly publicised cases increased pressure on the ministry and the sentence calculation system.

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Political responsibility

Official registers show that before joining the government, Lammy received payments for LBC and speaking engagements, while his office benefited from substantial declared support, including £70 000 from Gary Lubner, £12 500 from Waheed Alli and research services from Labour Together.

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Having previously described Donald Trump as "deluded, dishonest, xenophobic, narcissistic" and a "neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath", Lammy, upon becoming Foreign Secretary, faced questions in 2024 about the compatibility of those remarks with the transatlantic relationship.

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Lammy announced the suspension of 30 arms export licences to Israel following a review concluding that there was a clear risk that certain equipment might contribute to serious violations of international humanitarian law. The decision was criticised both as too harsh towards Israel and as insufficient by pro-Palestinian campaigners.

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At a Commonwealth summit, Lammy, who had previously advocated a debate on reparations, explained that the British response should not be reduced to a transfer of money. This formulation drew criticism from Caribbean campaigners and accusations of retreat.

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Amid controversy over Waheed Alli's gifts to Keir Starmer and his wife, Lammy defended the idea that political leaders and their spouses might rely on donors for their appearance at public events, fuelling accusations of hypocrisy and poor judgement.

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Following the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu, Lammy stated that he would continue speaking to him to address ceasefire and humanitarian aid issues, while acknowledging that the warrant would have to be referred to British courts if Netanyahu entered the United Kingdom.

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The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards concluded in 2022 that Lammy had registered 16 interests after the 28-day deadline, in breach of paragraph 14 of the Code of Conduct. The investigation noted that an earlier similar case had already been addressed in 2019.

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The 2019 parliamentary register identifies several payments for speaking engagements declared late by Lammy and subjected to the official rectification procedure on 25 June 2019.

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Lammy accused Comic Relief's communications surrounding a trip by Stacey Dooley to Uganda of perpetuating "white saviour" stereotypes, triggering an intense debate about humanitarian imagery, race and the representation of Africa.

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Personally implicated

During the Brexit debate, Lammy defended a comparison between certain members of the European Research Group, Nazis in the 1930s and South African white supremacists, subsequently stating that his comparison was "not strong enough". The wording provoked considerable controversy.

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Personally implicated

As Higher Education Minister, David Lammy indicated that the promised review of the university tuition fee cap would not be completed before June 2010, therefore after the expected general election. The decision was interpreted as a politically convenient postponement of an electorally sensitive issue.

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Political responsibility

As Universities Minister, Lammy announced a freeze on maintenance grants and loans for 2010-2011, together with an increase in maximum tuition fees to £3 290. The measures fuelled criticism over the cost of studying and student debt.

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Political responsibility