Theresa May's spokesman: Donald Trump's comments on Charlottesville are 'a matter for him'

'We are very clear.... we condemn racism, hatred and violence. We condemn the far right.'

Theresa May met Donald Trump at the G20 summit in Hamburg last month (PA)

Theresa May's spokesman has said Donald Trump's statements are "a matter for him" after the US President failed to condemn neo-Nazis protesters at a far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said Ms May condemned racism, hatred and violence but he did not comment on the backlash over Mr Trump's response to the rally.

Asked whether Mr Trump's response had been robust enough, Ms May's spokesman said: "What the President says is a matter for him. We are very clear.... we condemn racism, hatred and violence. We condemn the far right."

President Trump was criticised for condemning "violence on all sides" rather than directly taking aim at the far-right protesters, some of who are his supporters.

The protest turned deadly when a car ploughed into a group of counter-protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer. The crash resulted in at least 19 people being injured and Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe, declaring a state of emergency.

A White House spokesman said that Mr Trump did not explicitly condemn white supremacist groups after violence broke out in Charlottesville because he did not want to "dignify" their politics.

However, the US leader has been widely criticised for failing to single out white supremacist groups in his condemnation and he was forced to clarify his position two days after the events.

Mr Trump has subsquently declared that "racism" is evil and that the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and white supremacists and other hate groups are "repugnant".

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred bigotry and violence," he said. "It has no place in America."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the violence "absolutely repulsive".

Her spokesperson told journalists: "The scenes at the right-wing extremist march were absolutely repulsive - naked racism, antisemitism and hate in their most evil form were on display. Such images and chants are disgusting wherever they may be and they are diametrically opposed to the political goals of the Chancellor and the entire government."

The spokesperson added that Ms Merkel supported "those who peacefully oppose such aggressive, far-right views."