Mr Lammy had been asked about Labour’s approach to foreign affairs and, in particular, its approach to the UK’s “nearest neighbours”, to which he had replied “Of course, the big theme is that all foreign policy is now domestic policy. What that means is that for us, a security, with a seat on the Security Council, sixth richest economy in the world, we need to be connected to our allies and partners”.  In the ECU’s view the audience would have understood Mr Lammy was making a broad point about the UK’s standing and influence.  He referred specifically to the UK’s membership of the UN Security Council and its economic status relative to other countries.  Mr Lammy did not elaborate on whether he was referring to productivity, wealth, per capita income or any other metric, but in this context it was likely listeners would conclude he was offering a broad assessment rather than stating an incontrovertible fact about the UK economy.
Not upheld