A top British lawmaker is slamming the “pageantry” surrounding President Trump’s state visit to the United Kingdom, saying that the country “should not be rolling out the red carpet” for the president.
Vince Cable, leader of the Liberal Democrats and a member of Parliament for the Greater London Borough of Twickenham, told the BBC on Monday that while there’s “no problem about doing business with the American government,” Trump “shouldn’t be honored in any particular way.”
“Most American presidents are not,” Cable said, adding that Trump is “somebody who is actively working against British interests in a whole variety of spheres.”
{mosads}“There’s a difference between engaging in sensible political conversations and involving the royalty and all the pageantry of the state visit,” he said.
Cable criticized Trump for his actions related to international trade and intelligence-sharing, saying that he is “doing great damage” to the U.S.-U.K. alliance.
“This is not an ally in the traditional sense,” he said.
Cable’s comments came as Trump and other members of his family arrived in London and visited Buckingham Palace. Trump met Queen Elizabeth II on Monday and is expected to have a private lunch with her and other members of the royal family.
Trump’s three-day visit to the U.K. is expected to be met with mass protests.
Ahead of the trip, Trump made a number of comments to British tabloid The Sun that have already stirred controversy, including criticism of Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit strategy and saying ex-Foreign Minister Boris Johnson would make an “excellent” Conservative Party leader.
He also called Duchess Meghan Markle’s past comments about him “nasty” and blasted London Mayor Sadiq Khan as a “stone cold loser.”