‘Safer to delay’ King’s state visit to see Donald Trump, says senior Labour MP

A senior Labour MP has suggested it would be “safer to delay” the King’s state visit to the US next month due to the ongoing war in the Middle East.

The historic visit has yet to be officially announced but Charles and the Queen are expected to visit Washington and New York in April to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence.

US President Donald Trump has branded the UK’s approach to the conflict with Iran “terrible” and repeatedly lashed out at Sir Keir Starmer, with the special relationship between the two allied nations appearing to be in jeopardy.

The Prime Minister has insisted the UK will not be drawn into a “wider war”.

Sir Keir’s decision not to grant permission for the first wave of military action prompted a raft of criticism from Mr Trump, including a personal attack on him for being “not Winston Churchill”.

Mr Trump railed against the UK on Monday as European countries resisted immediately agreeing to calls for assistance in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Dame Emily Thornberry, chair of the Foreign Affairs select committee, said there was a risk Charles and Camilla may be left feeling “embarrassed” because of the current crisis.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today radio programme on Tuesday, Dame Emily said: “If it was to go ahead, it would go ahead against a backdrop of a war, and that, I think, is quite difficult – and the last thing that we want to do is to have Their Majesties embarrassed.”

Asked if she was in favour of delaying the visit, she said: “I don’t know what the programme would involve, but I think it needs to be thought through very carefully as to whether or not it’s appropriate to go ahead now, or maybe have a limited programme or delay it – but we can’t just pretend that there isn’t a background of war.”

She added: “I suspect it would be safer to delay it, but I don’t know the details.”

However, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch backed the US state visit going ahead, saying the King represents “standards which both Sir Keir and Mr Trump could actually learn from”.

She told the Press Association: “The relationship is between the US and the UK, not between Donald Trump and Keir Starmer.

“The King is our head of state and actually, he’s going for a very significant anniversary, the 250th anniversary of American independence.

“So I do think that makes sense and it also reminds people that there are some people who are above this diplomatic row.

“I think the King is a huge asset to our country. He is very much loved. He represents so much about our country – history, tradition – and I think the standards which both Keir Starmer and Donald Trump could actually learn from.”

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the tensions with the US make the King’s planned visit “even more imperative”.

He said: “There are considerable tensions between the American president and British prime minister, that is true, and they appear to be worsening frankly by the day.

“I would say that makes the King’s visit even more imperative, even more imperative.

“There is absolutely no question that Trump has a sort of awe-like respect, he did for the Queen, that’s for certain and he genuinely likes Charles, I know that.

“No, the King’s visit becomes even more important… without America we are defenceless, defenceless, so whatever short-term disagreements there may have been, we have to reach a working relationship whilst not necessarily always agreeing on everything.

“So the King’s visit absolutely must go ahead.”

Downing Street declined to comment, and the Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters: “It’s not for me to discuss future royal engagements, the details of which haven’t yet been confirmed.”

Mr Trump was feted with a second state visit to the UK, unprecedented for an American leader, last year.

The royal family’s soft power diplomacy is viewed as an important and unique way of engaging with the billionaire-turned-politician, who is well known for his love of the monarchy.

Buckingham Palace said it was a matter for the Government, with state visits undertaken on the advice of the Foreign Office.

A recent YouGov poll found 46% of Britons believe the King should cancel the official visit and not travel to the US this year, while 36% said it should go ahead and 18% did not know.

Meanwhile, royal author Robert Hardman suggested it might be more problematic to cancel or postpone the monarch’s trip despite the ongoing war, given the significance of the 250th anniversary of American independence.

“Of course, it’s going to be problematic but I think it will be more problematic to cancel or postpone because this state visit has been held against a very specific date, and I think that date allows the King and the Government to sort of switch the focus away from the war, which is the 250th birthday of the United States,” he told the Today programme.

“It’s 250 years since independence, and that’s why this visit was originally planned for this year and it’s going to be big, as Trump would say. You can frame a visit against sort of deeper, longer lasting relationships.”

He added: “The news agenda moves so fast and history shows us that the monarchy does help, does sort of apply a certain sort of balm when the so-called special relationship stops being special, and we’ve seen that time and again.”