“They have done the politics of it very, very cleverly,” said one Labour MP of the timings.
But the U.S. president has plenty of adversaries who want him nowhere near Westminster.
Ahead of the invite going out, Labour MP Kate Osborne wrote twice to Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle asking for assurances Trump would not address parliament. “The president has repeatedly made worrying and uncomfortable comments about our U.K. democracy, the Middle East and equalities,” she said.
Ed Davey, who leads the Trump-bashing centrist Liberal Democrats, had a novel idea to send a signal.
He said Prime Minister Keir Starmer “should invite [Canadian Prime Minister] Mark Carney for an official visit to the U.K. just ahead of Trump’s visit, including the opportunity to address parliament.
“This would send an important signal that Britain stands shoulder to shoulder with Canada against Trump’s chaotic trade war,” Davey added.