Trump to visit UK in ‘early 2018’ after rumors of cancelation
Downing Street and the White House are said to be looking for the US president to make an official state visit to Britain early in 2018, according to reports from the BBC.
It was thought plans for Trump’s visit had been shelved after no mention of it was made during the Queen’s Speech last month. The speech opened an extended two-year parliamentary session, sparking suggestions that Trump would not be landing in the UK any time before 2019.
“An invitation has been extended and accepted,” a No. 10 spokesman said.
“The visit wasn't mentioned in the Queen's Speech because a date hasn't been fixed yet.”
It had been reported that the president would make a snap official visit to the UK as soon as this week, while en route to attend Bastille Day celebrations on July 14.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer, however, later dismissed the reports, saying, “While he [Trump] looks forward to visiting the UK, it will not be in the next two weeks.”
After a 50-minute meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May at the G20 summit in Hamburg last week, where he repeated the diplomatic trope of the US and UK having a “very special relationship,” Trump was asked if he would be visiting London.
“We’ll work that out,” he replied.
Trump was invited for an official state to the UK after Prime Minister Theresa May became the first foreign leader to meet him after being sworn in as the 45th President back in January.
Her invitation, however, sparked mass protests at the end of January, and a petition opposing the visit for being an “embarrassment to Her Majesty the Queen” was signed by 1.8 million people.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and the Liberal Democrats’ outgoing leader Tim Farron were among the influential politicians who voiced their opposition to Trump being afforded a full state visit.
