5 days ago
Trump shrugs off not being able to give speech to Parliament during State Visit saying MPs should 'go and have a good time' instead of returning to Westminster
Donald Trump has shrugged off not being able to give a speech to both House of Parliament during his State Visit.
The US president is due in the UK for a ceremonial visit from September 17-19.
But the trip is happening while the Commons is in recess - meaning he will not get the honour of addressing both Houses.
Nigel Farage yesterday demanded a recall of MPs so a speech could happen, pointing out that Emmanuel Macron gave one during his ceremonial visit last week.
In an interview with the BBC, Mr Trump made clear he was not concerned and would prefer that MPs 'go and have a good time' in their conference recess.
Asked what he wanted to achieve during the visit, the president said: 'Have a good time and respect King Charles, because he's a great gentleman.'
Keir Starmer dramatically extended the official invitation from the King as he wooed Mr Trump at the White House in February.
Mr Trump will be the only leader in modern times to carry out two ceremonial visits, with the first having happened in 2019.
However, there has been a backlash from some left-wing MPs who launched a campaign to block him from addressing Parliament.
There have also been concerns about protests in London, with polls suggesting Mr Trump is deeply unpopular with Brits.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump has hit out at 'sloppy' implementation of Brexit as he argued the process is now back on track.
The US president is a long-time critic of the EU and championed the idea of the UK leaving the bloc during his first White House campaign in 2016.
Mr Trump drew parallels with his 'Make America Great Again' movement, and paraded Nigel Farage at rallies.
However, efforts to strike a Transatlantic trade deal ultimately fell short in his first term.
Mr Trump stressed he still thought Brexit had been the right decision.
'I think it's been on the sloppy side but I think it's getting straightened out,' he said.
The president appeared to credit Keir Starmer for the improvements, while admitting their political differences.
'I really like the prime minister a lot, even though he is a liberal. I think he's good, he did a good trade deal with us which a lot of countries haven't been able to do,' he said.
Mr Trump said he did now support Nato's collective defence principle after member states agreed to ramp up spending.
But he suggested he was only confident that Britain would step up to fight alongside the US if the need arose.
