The British arm of conservative campaign group Turning Point on Thursday accused Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy of "fuelling violent rhetoric" against right‑wing figures and of helping create a climate that, it said, made American activist Charlie Kirk a target after Kirk was fatally shot at a university event this week.
Kirk, 31, a father of two, was struck in the neck by a single bullet while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday in what authorities described as a political assassination. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute on X, saying it was "heartbreaking that a young family has been robbed of a father and a husband" and adding: "We must all be free to debate openly and freely without fear — there can be no justification for political violence."
Turning Point UK said Lammy had been "at the forefront of fuelling violent rhetoric against those on the Right of politics," citing past comments in which Lammy described the launch of Turning Point UK in 2019 as evidence that "sinister forces are taking hold of our country" and a post on X in which Lammy wrote: "The transformation of the Tories from a centre‑Right, economically conservative party to one that openly promotes hard‑Right, xenophobic bile in just a few years shows what happens when you appease."
"Charlie Kirk is dead because Left‑wing politicians like Lammy demonised and misrepresented political opponents and turned them into bogeymen that extremists view as legitimate targets," Turning Point UK said in a statement. "It's too late for Charlie, but the rhetoric in our politics must change before more are murdered."
The accusation came amid an outpouring of fury and debate over reactions to Kirk's killing. Social media posts from some on the left that celebrated or made light of the shooting drew widespread condemnation, and the BBC faced criticism after it aired comments from a Democratic strategist who said Kirk "wasn't admired and loved by all," prompting audible shock in the studio. ITV also hosted a debate in which a commentator compared Kirk to former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, remarks that the panellist later said were not intended to justify the murder.
One local British politician, Burnley councillor Fiona Wild, resigned after an online remark following the killing in which she said she did not condone violence but added: "I do think he made himself a target and brought this on himself so good riddance to not a very nice man! America needs to get rid of the other t*t now." Burnley Council confirmed her resignation after the post provoked an outcry.
Senior politicians and public figures called for calm. Former Conservative cabinet minister Michael Gove described Kirk as "a sort of Cicero for the TikTok age" on ITV and said the shooting was "the latest political assassination to afflict America." Brendan Cox, whose wife, Labour MP Jo Cox, was murdered in 2016, condemned online trolling around Kirk's death and praised senior Democrats, including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi, for their tributes. Cox said Britain had largely come together after his wife's killing and urged the United States to "tone down the temperature" in public discourse.
Turning Point UK and Kirk's supporters have sought to tie public rhetoric in Britain to political violence abroad, while critics of the group said it was inappropriate to blame domestic politicians for an attack carried out in the United States. The group noted that Kirk had visited London in 2019 for the Turning Point UK launch, an event attended by some Conservative MPs.
Labour Party officials, the BBC and ITV were approached for comment about the remarks and coverage that followed the killing. Broadcasters and political leaders in both countries reiterated that political violence is unacceptable and called for measured public debate.
The killing has intensified scrutiny of the tone of political discourse on both sides of the Atlantic. Analysts and politicians who have studied politically motivated attacks point to a pattern in which heightened partisan language and dehumanising rhetoric can contribute to an environment that enables violence; advocates of robust political criticism counter that political denunciation does not equate to incitement and stressed the importance of distinguishing rhetoric from criminal action.
Authorities in Utah continue investigating the shooting and have not publicly identified a motive beyond describing the attack as politically motivated. Kirk's family has been offered condolences by leaders in the United States and abroad, and debate continues over how public figures and media should respond to political violence without exacerbating divisions.