Trump Official Mocks Starmer's Chief Of Staff With Bizarre Christmas Post

An official from the Trump administration appeared to mock the prime minister and his chief of staff after banning two Britons from the US.

Imran Ahmed and Clare Melford, two British-based executives who campaign against disinformation, had their American visas revoked on Christmas Eve.

This was seen as a particular blow to the Labour government due to Ahmed’s links to Keir Starmer’s top team.

Ahmed, a former adviser to cabinet minister Hilary Benn, is chief executive of the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, which was set up in 2017 by Morgan McSweeney, who is now the No.10 chief of staff.

But the US secretary of state Marco Rubio banned Ahmed and Melford for supposedly leading “efforts to coerce American platforms to punish American viewpoints they oppose”.

Then America’s under secretary of state for public diplomacy, Sarah B Rogers, celebrated the move with a slightly less diplomatic move.

She shared a post on X which read, “Hey McSweeney. Merry Christmas”, and featured an edited photo of Rogers with a Christmas hat on.

Rogers added a further festive touch by adding a Christmas tree emoji.

The Trump official said the ban comes as part of a “red line” for the US and the “extraterritorial censorship of Americans”.

Rogers had already taken aim at the UK’s Online Safety Act in interview with GB News at the start of the month, claiming: “To censor Americans in America is a deal breaker.”

When news of the visa ban broke, a UK government spokesperson said: “The UK is fully committed to upholding the right to free speech.

“While every country has the right to set its own visa rules, we support the laws and institutions which are working to keep the Internet free from the most harmful content.

“Social media platforms should not be used to disseminate child sex abuse material, incite hatred and violence, or spread fake information and videos for that purpose.”