Donald Trump should not be given state visit says Sadiq Khan
31 May 2019
The UK should not be "rolling out the red carpet" for Donald Trump during his upcoming visit, London mayor Sadiq Khan has said. He said while the trip was "right and proper", he did not believe a full state visit should be given "to somebody whose views we disagree with". The US president is due to arrive for a three-day state visit on Monday. Theresa May has said it will allow the UK and US to strengthen their "already close relationship". Speaking ahead of Mr Trump's arrival, Mr Khan said he believed the prime minister should tell the president he was "wrong on a whole host of issues" such as his views on women and immigration. "It's right and proper that we've got a good working relationship with out closest allies... it's wrong that the red carpet is rolled out," he said. His comments follow a long-running feud between the men. Mr Trump's state visit is expected to attract thousands of protesters, while counter-demonstrations supporting the president have also been organised. The Met Police said it had "a very experienced command team" leading the operation to deal with the visit. The police operation for the president's visit last year is estimated to have cost nearly PS18m. It's a formal trip to the UK by a head of state and is normally at the invitation of the Queen, who acts on advice from the government. Although they are grand occasions, they are not merely ceremonial affairs but are used by the government to further what it sees as Britain's national interests. Mr Trump is the third US president to be given a state visit.
It's a formal trip to the UK by a head of state and is normally at the invitation of the Queen, who acts on advice from the government. Although they are grand occasions, they are not merely ceremonial affairs but are used by the government to further what it sees as Britain's national interests. Mr Trump is the third US president to be given a state visit.
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What is a state visit?