Donald Trump puts state visit to UK 'on hold'
US President reportedly tells Theresa May he will not come if there are likely to be protests
Donald Trump's state visit to the UK has reportedly been "put on hold" after he called Theresa May to say he does not want to come if there are likely to be large-scale protests.
According to a Downing Street adviser said to be in the room at the time of the call, the conversation took place several weeks ago and "surprised May", says The Guardian.
Downing Street refused to comment on "speculation about the contents of private phone conversations", but insisted there has been no change to the plans and the Queen's invitation still stands.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said Trump was "clearly terrified of the British public".
He added: "He knows that the British people find his politics appalling and that they won't be scared to make their views known.
"May should be embarrassed that she was so quick to offer Trump a state visit. Now neither of them want to be seen with the other."
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called for the cancellation of the visit altogether, joining MPs from across the political spectrum in citing disagreements over the Paris climate accord and the US President's criticism of London Mayor Sadiq Khan following the London Bridge terror attacks.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
May, the first foreign leader to visit Trump in the White House, issued the invitation seven days after the President's inauguration in January. Many senior diplomats, including Lord Ricketts, a former national security adviser, said the invitation was premature but impossible to rescind once made.
-
Political cartoons for October 21Cartoons Tuesday’s political cartoons include a high-profile theft, Epstein files keeping Donald Trump up at night, Halloween costumes and scary GOP stories
-
Five things we learnt from Virginia Giuffre’s memoirThe Explainer Nobody’s Girl recounts ‘harrowing’ details of Giuffre’s suffering as a teenage victim of Jeffrey Epstein and his circle
-
Prince Andrew: a timeline of disgraced royal’s Epstein scandalIn Depth How the Queen’s favourite child went from Falklands War hero to public pariah
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ ralliesSpeed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
-
Conservative megadonors build a new bank thanks to Trump administration approvalIN THE SPOTLIGHT With a Lord Of The Rings-inspired name, and the backing of some of the biggest GOP financiers around, Erebor Bank is set to make major waves in the crypto world
-
DOJ indicts John Bolton over classified filesSpeed Read Continuing the trend of going after his political enemies, Trump prosecutes his former national security adviser
-
Trump, Putin set summit as Zelenskyy lands in DCSpeed Read Trump and Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine
-
‘The illusion of wealth can encourage people to take on more debt’instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump says he authorized covert CIA ops in VenezuelaSpeed Read He is also considering military strikes inside the country
-
Are inflatable costumes and naked bike rides helping or hurting ICE protests?Talking Points Trump administration efforts to portray Portland and Chicago as dystopian war zones have been met with dancing frogs, bare butts and a growing movement to mock MAGA doomsaying
-
‘Are we just going to stand in passive witness to the degradation of our democracy?’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day