LONDON – The British government is holding fast to plans to invite U.S. President Donald Trump for a state visit even as protests mount.
Peter Ricketts, a former head of the Foreign Office, said Tuesday the invitation has put Queen Elizabeth II in a “very difficult position” because of the furor surrounding Trump’s travel ban on refugees and people from some Muslim-majority countries.
He said in a letter to The Times that the invitation to Trump was “ill-judged” and should not have been made until Trump had spent some years in office.
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British lawmakers will hold a debate on Feb. 20 regarding a petition signed by more than 1.6 million people calling for a planned state visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to be canceled to avoid embarrassing Queen Elizabeth.
On the same day, lawmakers will also debate a second petition calling for the state visit to go ahead, which has been signed by more than 100,000 people.
Both debates were called by the Petitions Committee of the lower house of parliament. The British government responds to all petitions that gain more than 10,000 signatures and topics are considered for parliamentary debate if they reach 100,000.
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The Queen makes invitations to state visits on the advice of government officials, and traditionally hosts the visitor in Buckingham Palace.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Theresa May said the planned state visit is “months away” and details have yet to be worked out.
– With files from Reuters