The King and the Prime Minister have paid tribute to Jimmy Carter following the former US president’s death on Sunday aged 100.
In a message to the American people, the King expressed “great sadness” at the news of Mr Carter’s death, describing him as “a committed public servant” who “devoted his life to promoting peace and human rights”.
He added: “His dedication and humility served as an inspiration to many, and I remember with great fondness his visit to the United Kingdom in 1977.
“My thoughts and prayers are with President Carter’s family and the American people at this time.”
Mr Carter, a former peanut farmer, served one term in the White House between 1977 and 1981 and spent his post-presidency years as a global humanitarian, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Carter had “lived his values in the service of others to the very end” through “decades of selfless public service”.
Praising a “lifelong dedication to peace” that saw him win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, Sir Keir added: “Motivated by his strong faith and values, President Carter redefined the post-presidency with a remarkable commitment to social justice and human rights at home and abroad.”
Tributes to Mr Carter followed the announcement of his death by his family on Sunday, more than a year after he decided to enter hospice care.
His son, Chip Carter, said: “My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love.”
US President Joe Biden, one of the first elected politicians to endorse Mr Carter’s bid for the presidency in 1976, said the world had “lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian”.
He said: “Over six decades, we had the honour of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well.
“With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us.”
Speaking to reporters from his family vacation in the US Virgin Islands, Mr Biden said his predecessor represented “the most fundamental human values we can never let slip away” and the world had lost a “remarkable leader”.
Asked if there were any lessons President-elect Donald Trump could learn from Mr Carter, he answered: “Decency, decency, decency”.
Vice President Kamala Harris said Mr Carter “reminded our nation and the world that there is strength in decency and compassion”.
“His life and legacy continue to inspire me — and will inspire generations to come,” she said. “Our world is a better place because of President Carter.”
Former US ambassador to the EU Stuart Eizenstat, who was Mr Carter’s chief White House domestic policy adviser, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he was the “most consequential one-term president we’ve had” and the Camp David Accords was the best “act of presidential diplomacy in American history”.
Other UK politicians also paid tribute to Mr Carter. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said he was “an inspiration” who “led a truly remarkable life dedicated to public service with a genuine care for people”.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney described the former president as “a good, decent, honest man who strove for peace in all that he did”, while Welsh First Minister said he was “a remarkable man” and “a humanitarian and scholar”.
Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair said Mr Carter’s “life was a testament to public service”.
He added: “I always had the greatest respect for him, his spirit and his dedication. He fundamentally cared and consistently toiled to help those in need.”
Gordon Brown, another former prime minister, said it was a “privilege” to have known Mr Carter, who “will be mourned, not just in America, but in every continent where human rights are valued”.
Mr Biden has scheduled a state funeral in Washington on January 9 with public observances expected in Atlanta, Georgia, before the former president is buried in his hometown of Plains, Georgia.
In the official proclamation of Mr Carter’s death, Mr Biden declared January 9 a national day of mourning and ordered flags to be flown at half-mast at all public and military buildings for 30 days, a period which includes the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Mr Trump said on his Truth Social platform that Mr Carter “worked hard to make America a better place, and for that I give him my highest respect.
“While I strongly disagreed with him philosophically and politically, I also realised that he truly loved and respected our Country, and all it stands for.”
A moderate democrat born in Plains in October 1924, Mr Carter’s political career took him from the Georgia state senate to the state governorship and, finally, the White House, where he took office as 39th president in the wake of the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War.
His presidency saw economic disruption amid volatile oil prices, along with social tensions at home and challenges abroad including the Iranian revolution that sparked a 444-day hostage crisis at the US embassy in Tehran.
But he also brokered the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel, which led to a peace treaty between the two countries in 1979.
After his defeat in the 1980 presidential election, he worked more than four decades leading The Carter Centre, which he and his late wife Rosalynn co-founded in 1982 to “wage peace, fight disease, and build hope”.
Under his leadership, the Carter Center virtually eliminated Guinea Worm disease, which has gone from affecting 3.5 million people in Africa and Asia in 1986 to just 14 in 2023.
Mrs Carter, who died last year aged 96, had played a more active role in her husband’s presidency than previous first ladies, with Mr Carter saying she had been “my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished”.
Earlier this year, on his 100th birthday, Mr Carter received a private congratulatory message from the King, expressing admiration for his life of public service
Published: by Radio NewsHub
