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Award-winning playwright Sir David Hare has lambasted Donald Trump and said his latest film - a true-life legal drama starring Rachel Weisz - is partly a response to the US presidential hopeful’s politics.

Sir David has scripted Denial, which stars Weisz as American academic Deborah Lipstadt, who was sued for libel by British historian David Irving after she wrote a book labelling him as a Holocaust denier.

Professor Lipstadt won the case, with the judge ruling that Irving was an anti-Semite and racist who associated with Right-wing extremists.

Hare said: “The reason I was so drawn to [the story] is this idea that in this internet age, this democratic age, we are all entitled to our own opinion and one person’s opinion is as good as anyone else’s.

“Occasionally it is necessary to remind people that there are facts, there is scientific evidence and there is such a thing as proof. That was true with this court case and it’s important to say it now.

“The other day Donald Trump said Obama was bringing in 40,000 Syrian refugees and the administration said that is nonsense, it’s actually a few thousand. Donald Trump just said, ‘Well I believe it’s 40,000 and so do my millions of Twitter followers.’

“It’s a non-evidence-based approach to politics, what you might call Trumpery. It’s terribly dangerous.”

To script the movie, Sir David read 40 days’ worth of court reports and documents from the 2000 trial. It is directed by Mick Jackson and also features Tom Wilkinson and Sherlock star Andrew Scott.

Sir David is also adapting Ibsen’s The Master Builder for The Old Vic, which will star Ralph Fiennes, and will be discussing his recent memoirs at Hampstead Theatre Festival.

Meera Syal, Darcey Bussell and Imogen Stubbs will also be at the event, which runs from March 18 to 20. Sir David said: “It’s one of the problems with theatres that they are empty most of the day. This is a great idea and will hopefully bring people through the doors and persuade them to come back.”