King Charles III has invited US President Donald Trump for an unprecedented second state visit in September, scheduling the trip for three days when parliament is not sitting and removing the possibility of Trump addressing parliament.
Buckingham Palace yesterday announced that Trump would come to the UK from Sept. 17 to 19, soon after the UK House of Commons rises for its traditional break for the annual party conferences.
The king is to host Trump and his wife, Melania, at Windsor Castle, although the palace has not yet set out any other details of the trip.
Photo: Reuters
The visit is a coup for the White House, with Trump becoming the first elected politician in modern history to be granted two state visits, after his earlier one in 2019. The king first suggested the possibility of a second such event in February, delivered in the form of a letter by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a meeting in the White House.
However, the dates of the trip avoid the prospect of the US president making an address to parliament.
Other US presidents, including Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, have made speeches to both houses of parliament, while French President Emmanuel Macron did so last week during his first state visit. However, a Trump speech was likely to prove controversial, with some MPs having urged British House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle to refuse the US president the honor.
Last week 15 Labour MPs and five others signed a parliamentary motion calling on the speakers of both houses not to allow Trump to give a speech during the state visit.
The MPs, who include Diane Abbott, Kate Osborne and Nadia Whittome, accused the president of “misogyny, racism and xenophobia,” criticizing “his previous comments on women, refugees and torture,” as well as his stance on Ukraine.
British Ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson told the Sunday Times this weekend he believed Trump should be welcomed warmly on this visit.
“He should expect a warm reception, because he really does love Britain. He hugely admires it,” he said. “He trusts Keir Starmer. It’s not a question of expressing our gratitude. My lodestar here is to demonstrate respect, not sycophancy. I don’t think the administration has any problem with that.”
Starmer has forged a productive relationship with Trump since coming to office, persuading the US president to lower tariffs on certain British goods, such as cars and aerospace equipment.
However, he is looking to secure further concessions, especially on steel exports.
Mandelson told the Sunday Times the “universal 10% tariff” was unlikely to change, but added there was “scope” for negotiations in different sectors and industries, such as technology.
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