HAS Donald Trump’s visit to the UK been canned?
The US President was notable by his absence in the Queen’s speech yesterday.
While Her Majesty told Lords and MPs she was looking forward to welcoming King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain in July, and then hosting the Commonwealth summit in April next year, she made absolutely no mention of Trump.
Theresa May had invited the half-Scottish tycoon who became America’s 45th president, when she visited him in Washington in January, shortly after his inauguration.
However, The Guardian recently reported Trump no longer wanted to visit the UK, if there was the possibility of protests.
With 1.8 million people signing a petition calling on the Government to withdraw the invitation, protests seem likely.
Though the White House later denied the paper’s report.
A Downing Street spokesman dismissed the speculation, saying the Queen didn’t mention Trump as there were no firm plans: “An invitation has been extended and accepted.
“The visit wasn’t mentioned in the Queen’s Speech because a date hasn’t been fixed yet.”
In his last statement on the issue, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said: “Her Majesty extended an invitation to the President. He’s accepted that invitation. And we look forward to scheduling that trip.
“There is nothing that was scheduled and we look forward to working out a mutually acceptable date with the United Kingdom, and look forward to sharing that date.”
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