LONDON — Donald Trump has a date for his U.K. state visit. Months out, it’s already got members of parliament in a spin.
The U.S. president has been invited by King Charles III to return to the U.K. The September 17-19 trip will be Trump’s second full-blown state visit after an earlier trip across the pond in 2019.
But MPs are already griping about the format of the trip — with fans clamoring for more, and Trump’s detractors demanding a rethink.
The timing of the invite — in the middle of a House of Commons recess — has already raised eyebrows.
Government officials insisted Monday that the timings were down to Buckingham Palace, and not an attempt to avoid a parliamentary backlash to the controversial U.S. commander in chief.
Nigel Farage, a longstanding supporter of Trump, and the leader of Britain’s right-wing Reform UK party, said parliament must “without doubt” be recalled from its recess as the U.S. “is our most important ally.”
“Nigel Farage is right,” chimed in Conservative MP Suella Braverman on GB News. “The USA should be our closest and strongest ally. Shamefully our relationship has been broken by this terrible government. Of course President Trump should address Parliament.”
Fellow Tory MP John Cooper acknowledged “diary complications may have dictated the timing” but said “it would be a huge disappointment were a state visit — a serious honor — not to include the opportunity to address both houses.”
“It would be wonderful for him to talk to MPs and Lords as together our countries face confrontations and conflicts,” Cooper told POLITICO. “I’m a big fan of American football and the chance to hear from another team’s star quarterback is not to be missed!”
“They have done the politics of it very, very cleverly,” said one Labour MP of the timings.
But the U.S. president has plenty of adversaries who want him nowhere near Westminster.
Ahead of the invite going out, Labour MP Kate Osborne wrote twice to Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle asking for assurances Trump would not address parliament. “The president has repeatedly made worrying and uncomfortable comments about our U.K. democracy, the Middle East and equalities,” she said.
Ed Davey, who leads the Trump-bashing centrist Liberal Democrats, had a novel idea to send a signal.
He said Prime Minister Keir Starmer “should invite [Canadian Prime Minister] Mark Carney for an official visit to the U.K. just ahead of Trump’s visit, including the opportunity to address parliament.
“This would send an important signal that Britain stands shoulder to shoulder with Canada against Trump’s chaotic trade war,” Davey added.
The post Donald Trump’s heading back to Britain. Cue a load of complaining. appeared first on Politico.
