Donald Trump will not be allowed to address Parliament on UK state visit, Speaker John Bercow says
Donald Trump will not be welcome to address Parliament on his state visit to the UK because of its opposition to racism and to sexism, the Speaker of the House of Commons has said in a major snub to the American President.
In a dramatic intervention, John Bercow, the Speaker, said he was “strongly opposed” to Mr Trump speaking in the Commons as he stressed that being invited to address Parliament was “not an automatic right” but “an earned honour”....
Parts of the Commons erupted into rare spontaneous applause in support of Mr Bercow’s statement.
The intervention will cause headaches in Downing Street, where Theresa May has bent over backwards to rekindle the so-called special relationship with the US.
More at link:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/donald-trump-uk-state-visit-speaker-address-parliament-a7565651.html
(Well, it's not often that our MPs are sensible these days, but glad to see that they are being so now.)
= new reply since forum marked as read
Conservative MPs have urged Theresa May to clear the way for a vote of no confidence in the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, after his outspoken remarks about the US president, Donald Trump, earlier this week.
One backbencher, James Duddridge, the MP for Rochford and Southend East, has written to the prime minister asking her to confirm that she would offer ministers a free vote if a vote of no confidence is called.
Backbenchers told the Guardian they have already approached the clerks of the House of Commons to ask whether they can table a motion – though it would be unlikely to succeed.
Bercow infuriated some MPs when he said he would not countenance the idea of Trump addressing both Houses of Parliament in Westminster Hall.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/feb/08/tory-mps-planning-no-confidence-vote-in-speaker-over-trump-comments
For some reason, Tory donors laughed at this, though:
