Scott Walker dodges question about evolution beliefs during trade visit to UK

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/feb/11/scott-walker-special-relationship-trade-cheese-republican-chris-christie

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Republican presidential hopeful Scott Walker has refused to say whether he believes in the theory of evolution, arguing that it is “a question a politician shouldn’t be involved in one way or the other”.

Walker was speaking to an audience in London at the international affairs thinktank Chatham House while on a four-day trade mission to the UK, which is being interpreted as an attempt to demonstrate the Wisconsin governor’s credentials as an international statesman.

“I’m going to leave that up to you,” he said, when he was asked the question by BBC journalist Justin Webb. “I’m here to talk about trade not to pontificate on other issues. I love the evolution of trade in Wisconsin and I’d like to see an even bigger evolution as well.”

Webb, who was chairing the talk, responded that “any British politician, right- or leftwing, would laugh and say ‘yes of course evolution is true’”.

As part of the trip, which is ostensibly to promote trade ties between the UK and his state, Walker visited former prime minister Margaret Thatcher’s grave, went to Brookwood military cemetery in Surrey and watched prime minister’s questions from the public gallery. He also had private meetings with prime minister David Cameron and chancellor George Osborne.

In his speech, Walker said: “It was my honour to pay respects to your Iron Lady.” When asked what he thought of prime minister’s questions, he said: “I found myself listening to questions and thinking what would I say, how would my response be.”

On the “special relationship” between the UK and the US, Walker said: “Just like two dear friends, our countries have stood together and fought two world wars.” He said the two countries have “triumphed over the forces of evil not once but twice”.

The Wisconsin governor repeatedly refused to answer questions on US foreign policy, saying that it would be impolite and disrespectful to the US president to talk about the subject on foreign soil and saying that he was on an official visit to promote trade with his state.

Walker also stressed his commitment to free trade, saying that it even extended to his state’s precious cheese market.

“Let me put it this way,” he said, “if my state was a country it would rank fourth in the world for cheese production, just behind the United States, France and Germany, and just above Italy.

“We believe we make [cheese] better than anybody in the world, but we don’t begrudge anybody trying to make a better cheese. In other words, we say let the best cheese win.”

Walker is in the UK while a row blazes in his home state over a proposed $300m (£187m) funding cut to the University of Wisconsin and the changing of the institution’s century-old mission statement. At Chatham House, he said the proposal was about balancing “quality and cost” and that the cuts would be made up for by savings.

The New Jersey governor, Chris Christie, who is also thought to have his sights on the Republican presidential nomination, visited the UK on a similar trip last week. The visit backfired when he was caught off-guard by questioning from journalists.

Asked about the debate surrounding the safety of measles vaccines, Christie said that although he had had his children vaccinated, it should be a choice for parents. His comments were criticised as contributing to misinformation about the vaccine. Walker is thought to be trying to avoid a similar fate by steering clear of too much confrontation with the press on his trip.

Walker defended Christie during his Chatham House talk, saying he was treated unfairly by journalists: “It probably wasn’t the most substantive thing that he said while he was out here, but for whatever reason that was the lead ... It’s another example of where [the media] go to whatever is the most glaring headline, and not the substance.”

It is Walker’s third official overseas trade mission, after trips to China and Japan, since he became governor in 2011. He is also planning a trip to Israel, a common destination for aspiring presidents.

The UK is another favourite of aspiring presidential candidates. Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, Texas governor Rick Perry, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and Florida senator Marco Rubio have all visited in the past year. Hillary Clinton visited the UK to promote her book last summer.