Britain's Labour party has accused U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of planning to prevent party leader Jeremy Corbyn from becoming prime minister after a leaked recording captured U.S. President Donald Trump's top diplomat vowing to preemptively "push back" against his leadership, The Guardian reported over the weekend.
"It could be that Corbyn manages to run the gauntlet and get elected," Pompeo is heard telling U.K. Jewish leaders in the leaked recording. "It's possible. You should know, we won't wait for him to do those things to begin to push back. We will do our level best. It's too risky and too important and too hard once it's already happened."
The remark came in response to a hypothetical question should Corbyn become prime minister: "Would you be willing to work with us to take on actions if life becomes very difficult for Jews in the U.K.?"
A Labour spokesman warned that the U.S. was seeking to intervene in U.K. politics. The spokesman also promised to fight against anti-Semitism, which has been an increasing concern within the left-wing party.
"President Trump and his officials' attempts to decide who will be Britain's next prime minister are an entirely unacceptable interference in the U.K.'s democracy," said the unnamed source according to The Guardian, adding that the Labour Party was "fully committed to the support, defense and celebration of the Jewish community and is implacably opposed to anti-Semitism in any form".
In April, The Sunday Times reported that the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership has failed to take action against hundreds of cases of anti-Semitism by party members despite more than 850 recorded complaints.
Pompeo made his comments in the wake of Trump's three-day visit to the U.K. last week. During the trip, the U.S. president refused to meet with Corbyn, who instead joined in a protest of Trump's joint press conference with outgoing British Prime Minister Theresa May.
Trump has endorsed Boris Johnson for the leadership of the Conservative Party and prime minister.
