Patel says Trump comments led to US Capitol violence

DONALD TRUMP'S rhetoric in disputing his loss of the US presidential election led directly to the "terrible" violence at the US Capitol and he should condemn the scenes in Washington, home secretary Priti Patel said today (7).

Hundreds of Trump's supporters stormed the US Capitol yesterday (6) in a stunning bid to overturn his election defeat, battling police in the hallways and delaying the certification of Democratic president-elect Joe Biden's victory for hours.

Patel said the events were "terrible beyond words", and Trump had not only failed to de-escalate the violence, but had fuelled it.

"His comments directly led to the violence, and so far, he has failed to condemn that violence and that is completely wrong," Patel told the BBC.

Prime minister Boris Johnson described the scenes in Washington  as "disgraceful" late last evening.

The interventions from Johnson and Patel mark a striking change of tone from the government of Britain, a close US ally, towards Trump.

Previously, Johnson and his ministers have consistently sought to avoid criticising the US president.

Patel said the US was a "beacon of democracy" and that it was "absolutely essential" that there was a transition to a Biden administration.

"America needs to move on," she said.

"We absolutely want them to move on now and have that orderly transition that they need so that they continue with their own governance and their own norms in terms of establishing the presidential office."