Speaker of the House of Commons and Buckingham MP John Bercow has refused an invitation from the Queen to attend a state dinner with the President of the United States.
The event is due to take place when President Trump visits the UK from June 3-5.
Mr Bercow, who acts as Speaker of the House of Commons, has been openly critical about the president in the past.
In February 2017, shortly after Mr Trump was elected, Mr Bercow ruled out the possibility of a future formal address by the president, telling MPs that it is “not an automatic right, it is an earned honour.”
In light of President Trump’s migration policy, Mr Bercow said: “Before the migrant ban, I would myself have been strongly opposed to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall.
“But after the imposition of the migrant ban by President Trump, I am even more strongly opposed to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall.”
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has criticised Mr Bercow’s position, saying that the US President should receive the “best possible welcome” when he arrives in June.
He said: “I think that it is very important when you have a state visit by our closest and most important ally that we think of the office as much as the person.”
Photo Credit: Sky News
