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Sadiq Khan is snubbed from guest list for Trump's state banquet

London mayor has not been invited to the state banquet for Donald Trump when the president visits the UK in June.

Sadiq Khan, who recently reopened his feud with Trump saying the president was "not in same class" as previous presidents, is not on the guest list for the white-tie dinner hosted by the Queen at the Buckingham Palace.


Khan has said he did not want to go anyway.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has also decided to boycott the dinner.

Saying he would be happy to meet with Trump, Corbyn said “maintaining an important relationship with the United States does not require the pomp and ceremony of a state visit.”

The Conservative government of prime minister Theresa May “should not be rolling out the red carpet for a state visit to honor a president who rips up vital international treaties, backs climate change denial and uses racist and misogynist rhetoric,” Corbyn said last month.

Khan, meanwhile, said Trump was not worthy of his upcoming state visit to Britain as he was not "in the same class" as his predecessors.

"History tells us only two presidents have had a state visit. I think President Trump is certainly not in the same class as those two."

Only George W. Bush and Barack Obama have been granted a state visit to the UK.

"Of course we should have a close relationship with the president of the USA, but we shouldn't be rolling out the red carpet, we shouldn't have a state banquet," added Khan.

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Falklands sovereignty row erupts days before King Charles meets Trump

No 10 was quick to respond, with the prime minister's spokesman saying the government "could not be clearer" on its stance

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Falklands sovereignty row erupts days before King Charles meets Trump

Highlights

  • A Pentagon email reported by Reuters suggested the US was considering reviewing its support for UK sovereignty over the Falklands.
  • Downing Street said sovereignty "rests with the UK" and the islanders' right to self-determination is "paramount".
  • Report emerged just three days before King Charles and Queen Camilla are due to meet Trump at the White House.
A report suggesting the US may be rethinking its position on the Falkland Islands has sparked a strong response from Downing Street, coming just days before King Charles and Queen Camilla head to Washington to meet president Donald Trump.
An internal Pentagon email, reported by Reuters, suggested the US was looking at ways to put pressure on Nato allies it felt had not supported its war in Iran.
One of the options discussed was a review of American backing for British sovereignty over the Falklands.
No 10 was quick to respond, with the prime minister's spokesman saying the government "could not be clearer" on its stance.
"Sovereignty rests with the UK and the islanders' right to self-determination is paramount," he told BBC, adding that this had been "expressed clearly and consistently to successive US administrations."
He was firm that "nothing is going to change that."
The Falkland Islands government backed London's position, saying it had "complete confidence" in the UK's commitment to defending its right to self-determination.
Previous US administrations have recognised Britain's administration of the islands but have stopped short of formally backing its sovereignty claim.

Political reaction grows

The report triggered sharp reactions from across British politics. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the reported US position "absolute nonsense", adding: "We need to make sure that we back the Falklands.

They are British territory." Reform UK's Nigel Farage said the matter was "utterly non-negotiable" and confirmed he would raise it with Argentina's president Javier Milei when they meet later this year.

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