US President Donald Trump has reportedly called UK Prime Minister Theresa May to inform her that he would not travel to Britain until nationwide public protests against the trip come to an end.
The conversation took place over the past weeks and surprised May, who had invited Trump for a state visit earlier this year, The Guardian reported Sunday, citing a Downing Street adviser who was present for the call.
May extended Queen Elizabeth II’s invitation to Trump during a visit to the White House only a week after the Republican president's January 20 inauguration.
The visit request was met with backlash from British people and politicians alike.
Besides holding large demonstrations across the UK, hundreds of thousands of Britons signed an online petition back then that called on the UK Parliament to ban Trump from visiting the country.
UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called Trump a “threat” to the world and said he should not be allowed in to the UK because of his “reckless” policies, specifically his ill-fated visa ban against people from several Muslim countries.
Calls for the cancellation of the high-profile trip, which included a meeting with the Queen, were renewed last week after Trump’s response to a terror attack in London.
In an unusual break from diplomatic protocol, Trump used the attack, which killed 7 people and injured 48 more last Sunday, to make a case for his Muslim entry ban.
He pushed the envelope even further by launching several Twitter attacks against Sadiq Khan, London’s Muslim mayor, accusing him of incompetence and offering a "pathetic excuse" for the British Capital’s lack of security.
The untimely jab even prompted a response from May, who expressed her support for Khan, a member of the opposition Labour Party.
"I think Sadiq Khan is doing a good job and it's wrong to say anything else -- he's doing a good job," she told a press conference.
Khan has also joined the politicians who oppose Trump's state visit.
Meanwhile, some reports stated that the UK Foreign Office was also upset with Trump over his decision to ignore London’s warnings and withdraw the US from the landmark Paris climate accord.
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/7007
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