Trump should be banned from addressing Parliament during state visit for ‘colluding with Putin’, Labour peer tells LBC
Donald Trump should be blocked from addressing Parliament during his upcoming state visit, a Labour peer has told LBC.
Listen to this article
Lord George Foulkes of Cumnock accused the US president of “colluding with Putin” as he called for Trump to ber banned from addressing Parliament.
Alongside a series of other MPs and Peers, Lord Foulkes wrote a letter to Lord McFall of Alcluith, the Lord Speaker, calling for the UK Government to take a hardline position against Trump.
Lord Foulkes said: "While the Government is obliged to deal with governments of all kinds, Parliament should not welcome a leader who is anti-democratic and flouts the courts and the rule of law.
"He also fails to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which all parties in the UK Parliament have done."
Read more: 'He served with such devotion': King Charles leads tributes as Pope Francis dies aged 88
Speaking to LBC on Monday, Lord Foukes added: “I don't think it would be appropriate on this occasion because of his attitude towards the United Kingdom, because the fact that he doesn't respect the court in the United States, he doesn't respect democracy or the rule of law, and it's okay for the UK Government to deal with him because they have to deal with all sorts of government of all kinds, but not for Parliament.
“Parliament is the democratic expression of our will in the country. We should make it clear that we don't agree with a lot of the things, if probably all of the things that Donald Trump has said.
“He has failed to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine. And every party in our parliament supports Ukraine and condemns Russia's invasion.
“And it does appear that he is colluding with Putin. And to have someone like that in Westminster really would go against all our democratic traditions and against all our attitudes in the UK Parliament.”
Trump looks set to travel to the UK in September following an invitation from the King and Sir Keir Starmer for a historic second state visit.
"I was invited by the King and the great country. They are going to do a second fest - that's what it is. It is beautiful," Trump said last week.
"It is the second time is has happened to one person. The reason is we have two separate terms and it's an honour to be a friend of King Charles and the family, William.
"I think they are setting a date for September.
"I don't know how it can be bigger than the last one. The last one was incredible but they say the next one will be even more important."
Appearing in the Oval Office in February, the PM handed a letter to Trump penned by King Charles, detailing a state visit that Starmer described as an "unprecedented" invite.
The royal invite played on Trump's long-standing admiration for the British monarchy/