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Sir Keir Starmer has praised the King’s “fantastic” work on his trip to Australia given his “health challenges”, hours after Charles was shouted at by a politician in the country’s parliament.
The prime minister made the comments in answer to a question about the protest in which Lidia Thorpe, 51, shouted at the King in a fiery address during his royal reception in Great Hall of Parliament House on Monday.
She approached the stage shouting “you are not my king” and accusing the King of “committing genocide against our people”, as she urged him to negotiate treaty between Australia’s First Nations and its government.
At the launch of a consultation on the future of the NHS in east London on Monday, Sir Keir was asked by a reporter if it was “disgraceful” that Australian politicians “are heckling the King”.
Sir Keir replied: “Look, I think the King is doing a fantastic job, an incredible ambassador, not just for our country, but across the Commonwealth.”
He said he was looking forward to joining Charles at the Commonwealth summit in Samoa this week, adding: “I think he’s doing a fantastic job, and we should remember in the context of health, that he is out there doing his public service notwithstanding, you know, the health challenges he himself has had – so I think he’s doing a great job.”
After the King addressed guests at Parliament House, Ms Thorpe, who wore a possum skin coat and carried a traditional message stick, shouted: “You are not our King, you are not sovereign … you have committed genocide against our people.
“Give us our land back. Give us what you stole from us … Our babies, our people. You destroyed our land.”
As she was gently ushered from the building’s hall, Ms Thorpe, who campaigns on First Nations issues, screamed: “Give us a treaty – we want a treaty with this country … This is not your land, this is not your land, you are not my King, you are not our King.”
The protest comes amid what is thought to be the highest profile trip abroad Charles has taken since he was diagnosed with cancer in February.
Aunty Violet Sheridan, a senior Ngunnawal Elder who formally welcomed Charles and Camilla to her ancestral lands when they entered Parliament House, said the senator did not speak for her and acknowledged his current health condition.
“We are all so disappointed by it. To have that in the Great Hall – disgusting,” she said. “I am so upset about her. He has waited so long to be king, he has rehearsed for it all his life.
“He is our king, our sovereign and he has got cancer.”
The King has paused his treatment while he carries out the long-haul tour to Australia – his first as the country’s monarch – and his state visit to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm).
Expected to be in the spotlight is the mounting pressure from the leaders of Caribbean nations to pay reparations for the impact of the transatlantic slave trade.
Labour MPs have also reportedly called for the Prime Minister to address the calls as he attends the summit in the Pacific island nation. But the Prime Minister’s official spokesman insisted he would not be discussing reparations at the gathering.
“Reparation’s not on the agenda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting,” he said. “The Government’s position on this has not changed, we do not pay reparations.
“The Prime Minister’s attending this week’s summit to discuss shared challenges and opportunities faced by the Commonwealth including driving growth across our economies.”
Asked again about an apology, the spokesman added: “The position on apology remains the same, we won’t be offering an apology at Chogm, but we will continue to engage with partners on the issues as we work with them to tackle the pressing challenges of today and indeed for the future generations.”