Jeremy Corbyn welcomes 'cancellation' of Donald Trump state visit

'Cancellation of President Trump's State Visit is welcome,' the Labour party leader tweets

Emily Shugerman
New York
Sunday 11 June 2017 15:06 BST
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Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn waves as he arrives at Labour Party headquarters in central London after the results of a recent snap election
Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn waves as he arrives at Labour Party headquarters in central London after the results of a recent snap election

Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn has advocated for the cancellation of US President Donald Trump's visit to the UK, citing disagreements over the Paris climate accord and the President's criticism of London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

"Cancellation of President Trump's State Visit is welcome, especially after his attack on London's mayor & withdrawal from #ParisClimateDeal," Mr Corbyn tweeted.

Mr Trump's visit to the UK has not been formally cancelled, but is reported to have been put on hold for fear of public protest.

Mr Corbyn and several other MPs suggested the visit be cancelled outright, following Mr Trump's comments on the recent London Bridge terrorist attack.

"At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is "no reason to be alarmed!" Mr Trump tweeted at the time.

Prime Minister Theresa May said the President's comments were "wrong", and Mr Khan said his state visit should not go ahead.

Ms May invited Mr Trump to visit the UK days after his inauguration, but the date for an official visit has yet to be announced.

The Sun reported in February that the President's visit had been pushed back to October. A senior government source told the publication that Mr Trump "wants the heat to die down a bit first".

That prospect appears increasingly unlikely after the President's incendiary comments. A spokesperson for Ms May, however, told Reuters that "the Queen extended an invitation to President Trump to visit the UK and there is no change to those plans".

Mr Corbyn – whose party gained an astonishing 30 seats in a recent snap election – has been a frequent critic of the American president.

The Labour party leader hinted at his desire to delay Mr Trump's state visit in a recent interview with The Independent, saying he was “very concerned” at the speed with which Ms May extended her invitation.

Asked whether the President should have to wait until a second term in office to visit the UK, however, Mr Corbyn demurred.

“It’s not up to me as the invitation has already been issued," he replied.

Mr Trump has not commented on Mr Corbyn specifically, but called the results of the recent UK election "surprising".

The President has yet to formally nominate an ambassador to the UK, and has not visited the country during his time in office. In his first foreign trip as president, Mr Trump visited Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the Vatican, and attended summits in Belgium and Italy.

The Independent has reached out to the White House for comment.

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