The government of UK Prime Minister Theresa May has been warned that Trump could make a brief stop at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland as part of his upcoming trip to Europe, The Guardian reported on Monday, citing Whitehall sources.
Trump will attend the G20 summit in Hamburg next weekend and then join celebrations for Bastille Day in France on July 14. This raises the possibility of an informal visit to London, the report added.
People at 10 Downing Street have already been given the heads-up because such visits are usually confirmed in the final 24 hours in order to minimize chances of protests and other forms of disruption.
Reports emerged in early June that Trump had informed May that he would not travel to Britain until nationwide public protests against him come to an end.
The conversation reportedly surprised May, who went to the White House only seven days after Trump’s inauguration and personally delivered Queen Elizabeth II’s invitation for a state visit.
The request prompted 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.
In February, British activists, lawmakers and trade unions also chimed in and vowed to hold the largest demonstrations in UK history in case Trump made the visit. They went on to form the so-called Stop Trump coalition.
“Donald Trump is planning to sneak into Britain to avoid protests. RT if you’re willing to commit to protesting this bigot at short notice,” Stop Trump campaigner and Guardian columnist Owen Jones wrote in a tweet on Sunday night.
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 visa ban against people from several Muslim countries.
Trump will begin his European tour by visiting Poland, breaking with a long-running tradition of visiting main European allies France, Germany and the UK first.
No comments:
Post a Comment