London: In a three-hour debate on Donald Trump’s lavish state visit later this year, British MPs blasted the US President dubbing him “racist and sexist” even as the Theresa May government defended its decision. The MPs’ speeches were limited to five minutes each with Westminster Hall bursting at the seams literally.
However, the government defied protests outside Parliament and dissent from lawmakers.
The debate, held after 1.8 million people signed a petition against Mr Trump’s visit, was hosted in a packed side room of Parliament rather than the main debating chamber. “It’s difficult to know whether to be appalled at the morality of this invitation or just astonished at the stupidity of the invitation,” said Scottish National Party lawmaker Alex Salmond. Mr Trump had clashed with Mr Salmond over his investment in Scotland.
“As an example of fawning subservience, the Prime Minister holding hands [with Trump] would be difficult to match. To do it in the name of shared values was stomach churning. What exactly are the shared values that this house, this country would hope to have?” Mr Salmond added.
Critics focussed on accusations of sexism and referred to his immigration policies while other lawmakers argued Mr Trump should come to Britain, but should not be given the honour of a state visit, which would involve lavish displays of royal pageantry and a banquet hosted by the Queen.
Crispin Blunt, head of Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said that a head-of-government visit by Mr Trump would be appropriate this year, but a full state visit should wait until 2020. “If we don’t take the hype out of this debate, with all the people who signed this petition, there is every possibility that of course this visit is then going to become a rallying point for everybody who is unhappy both with the direction of American policy or British policy or anything else.”
The Guardian reported Mr Trump was compared to a “petulant child” and had his intelligence questioned by MPs.
Labour’s Paul Flynn said that only two US Presidents had been accorded a state visit to Britain in more than half-a-century and it was “unprecedented” that Mr Trump was issued his within seven days of his presidency.
