Corbyn flayed for snubbing Queen’s Trump dinner invite

Jeremy Corbyn was accused of “staggering” hypocrisy after snubbing the Queen’s invitation to a state banquet with Donald Trump.Despite his record of meeting terrorists and extremists, the Labour leader said he would refuse to attend the dinner with Trump at Buckingham Palace in June.In an extraordinary statement, Corbyn accused the US president of engaging in “racist and misogynistic rhetoric” and of backing “climate change denial”. He criticised Theresa May for “kowtowing” to Washington and “rolling out the red carpet”.Commons Speaker John Bercow, another prominent Trump critic, has also decided to snub the Queen’s invitation. Corbyn’s stance triggered a backlash from Tory MPs who said his “pathetic gesture” made him “unfit to be prime minister”.Several pointed to the list of controversial figures he has sat down with in the past.Former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith said Corbyn was clearly “unfit” to lead the country.“Corbyn dislikes his own country, dislikes the monarchy and dislikes the national anthem, yet he is friends with Maduro of Venezuela,” he said.‘Hypocrisy is the basis of his politics: It shows bad judgment that he refuses to sit down with our closest ally and our head of state. His ideology makes him unfit to be prime minister. He will not be missed. This is a pathetic gesture.”Tom Tugendhat, Tory chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, pointed out that Corbyn had attended a state banquet for China’s President Xi Jinping, who has been accused of human rights abuses, in 2015.“Given the people he has broken bread with ... I think it’s a level of hypocrisy that is really quite staggering,” he said.Corbyn announced his decision in a statement on Saturday, days after it was confirmed that Trump will make a full state visit from June 3-5.The Labour leader said: “May should not be rolling out the red carpet for a state visit to honour a president who rips up vital international treaties, backs climate change denial and uses racist and misogynist rhetoric.“Maintaining an important relationship with the US does not require the pomp and ceremony of a state visit. It is disappointing that the prime minister has again opted to kowtow to this US administration.” He added, however, that he was willing to meet with the president to discuss “all matters of interest”.It is thought to be unprecedented for a leader of the Opposition to refuse to attend the formal dinner with the head of state of the United Kingdom’s closest international ally.Corbyn previously criticised the US president and joined 100,000 protesters who flew a blimp of Trump as a baby when he came to Britain last year.Several Tory MPs have criticised Corbyn’s decision. Sir Nicholas Soames, the grandson of Winston Churchill, said: “It’s reassuringly stupid and very bad manners. After all, the president of the US, no matter what Corbyn’s views, or anyone else’s, is an official guest of the Queen.“It’s not at all clever or grown up of him to refuse to attend. But it is true to form for Corbyn. All Corbyn’s friends are people who are enemies of this country.” Bob Seely said: “This raises serious questions about Corbyn’s fitness to govern when he will snub an invitation from the Queen but is more than happy to have a takeaway with terrorists.”Fellow Tory Simon Hart said: “The UK relationships with hundreds of countries are with the office (which is permanent) rather than the individual (who isn’t). Given the world leaders that Corbyn is happy to mix with, it seems odd to exclude our oldest ally.”And Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell said: “I think’s it’s wholly wrong that the leader of the opposition is refusing to attend a state banquet hosted by the sovereign. The US is Britain’s closest ally, whatever your views on Trump. If nothing else, it is a missed opportunity for Corbyn to tell the president of the US what he thinks.”Trump will make his state visit as Britain and the US mark 75 years since D-Day. British taxpayers face an £18mn bill to host him. His working visit last year attracted huge protests and additional policing costs ran into the millions.