The leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said on Friday he had turned down an invitation to a state dinner which will be one of the highlights of US President Donald Trump’s visit to Britain in June.
“MAY SHOULDN’T BE ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET”
“Theresa May should not be rolling out the red carpet for a state visit to honour a president who rips up vital international treaties, backs climate change denial and uses racist and misogynist rhetoric,” Corbyn said in a statement.
Corbyn said he would welcome a meeting with Trump “to discuss all matters of interest” but said maintaining ties with Washington did not require “the pomp and ceremony of a state visit.”
Trump is due to visit Britain between June 3 and 5 when he will become only the third US president to have been accorded a state visit by Queen Elizabeth. However, Trump will not stay in Buckingham Palace, as foreign leaders typically do during state visits, because of renovation work.
Almost 1.9 million Britons signed a petition in 2017 saying Trump should not be offered a state visit.