Who is David Lammy, the new foreign secretary?

David Lammy has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during his diplomatic trip to the Middle East.

The UK foreign secretary, who stepped into his role following Labour’s recent landslide victory, is already hard at work juggling foreign relations around the world.

During his time in Israel, Lammy met both the Israeli PM and Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, while seeking to ease regional tensions.

"I’m here to push for a ceasefire," Lammy said. "The loss of life over the last few months... is horrendous. It has to stop."

His calls for an end to the bloodshed came days after Israeli forces killed at least 90 Palestinians in “horrific scenes” in what had been deemed a safe zone for fleeing civilians.

According to Unicef, More than 14,000 Palestinian children are among those killed by Israel as the death toll continues to rise despite growing international calls to end the onslaught.

Lammy appears to have shifted his stance after coming under fire in 2023 for suggesting that Israel’s strikes on refugee camps may be “legally justifiable”.

The new foreign secretary, who marks his 52nd birthday this week, is also expected to announce the provision of £5.5 million this year to UK-Med in an effort to support its work in the Gaza Strip.

"It’s important that, while we are in a war, that war is conducted according to international humanitarian law," Lammy said, as he prepared for his latest meetings.

"Of course, I will be pressing Israeli leaders on that subject over the coming days.”

He also pledged to help ensure the remaining hostages taken on October 7 were brought home.

Lammy’s calls for a ceasefire comes as Labour faces intense pressure to stop UK arms sales that are being sent to Israel.

He said he would "look at the assessment and the legal considerations" in regard to UK weapons sales.

But who exactly is David Lammy, and what are the past controversies surrounding him? Here’s what we know.

Who is David Lammy?

David Lammy is a politician and lawyer who has been the MP for Tottenham since 2000. Previously working as the shadow foreign secretary, he became the UK’s foreign secretary earlier this month.

Born in London to Guyanese parents, David and Rosalind Lammy, David and his four siblings were raised by his mother.

He grew up in Tottenham and went on to study at Harvard University, where he became the first black Briton to attend Harvard Law School. He studied for a master of laws degree and graduated in 1997 before going on to work as a lawyer and professor.

Mr Lammy was elected to the London Assembly for Labour in 2000 on the all-London list. When MP Bernie Grant died in 2000, Mr Lammy was chosen to represent Labour in his Tottenham seat.

In the 2000 by-election, he won the seat with a majority of 5,646 votes and 53.5 per cent of the vote. Until Sarah Teather was elected in 2003, at the age of 27, he was the youngest MP.

In the general election of 2001, Mr Lammy was re-elected as the member of parliament for Tottenham, with a higher vote share of 67.5 per cent and a larger majority of 16,916.

Political controversies

Tony Blair made him parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Department for Constitutional Affairs in 2003. Mr Lammy supported the government's decision to invade Iraq in 2003.

In a 2020 interview with the Big Issue, he declared he regrets voting for the Iraq war. He explained he felt under pressure at the time because of the high numbers of Iraqi Kurds in Tottenham. He added he hasn’t supported any interventions since.

While he may have stayed far from supporting any interventions, he did attract criticism for other topics.

When the BBC tweeted, "Will smoke be black or white?" in reference to smoke above the Sistine Chapel at the announcement of the future Pope, Mr Lammy accused the BBC of making a "silly innuendo about the race" in 2013.

Mr Lammy called the BBC's tweet "unnecessary and crass”. Later, he issued an apology after other Twitter users brought attention to the role black and white smoke played in announcing the election of a new pope.

The Spectator criticised Mr Lammy’s claim in January 2016 that one million Indians had given their lives during World War II for the "European Project" rather than for the survival of Britain or to oppose Nazism.

After the Israeli Defense Forces bombed the Jabalia refugee camp in late 2023, Mr Lammy said that while the strike was immoral "when it comes to ethics" it might be justified legally "if there is a military objective".The Muslim Council of Britain denounced the remarks as disgusting and morally repugnant.

What has he said about the general election?

Prior to Labour’s recent win in the general election, Mr Lammy said his background as the son of enslaved people would influence his work in government as he looks to strengthen UK ties with the Commonwealth and the global south.

In a speech outlining Labour's plans to reform the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, which is known for institutional conservatism, he declared: “I will take the responsibility of being the first foreign secretary descended from the slave trade incredibly seriously.”

Rather than refight historical conflicts, he declared he would use his own history to assist address contemporary issues like war, humanitarian disasters, and the climate crisis.

In addition, he expressed his desire for the Foreign Office to adopt a more long-term, risk-taking, strategic and less elitist mindset.