Donald Trump faces the prospect of being denied the honour of addressing Parliament during his state visit to the UK later this year, with no formal request yet submitted despite President Macron receiving the privilege this week.
Sky News has learned that the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has not received any request to invite the US president to speak when he visits Britain in September. The revelation comes as French President Emmanuel Macron addressed both Houses of Parliament on Tuesday as part of his three-day state visit.
The absence of a formal request has emerged following concerns raised by MPs about Mr Trump being granted the same platform that previous US presidents including Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton enjoyed during their state visits.
Kate Osborne, Labour MP for Jarrow and Gateshead East, wrote to the speaker in April requesting he block any potential address and tabled an early-day motion outlining her objections. I was happy to see Macron here but feel very differently about Trump,” she told Sky News.
The MP cited multiple concerns about the US president’s rhetoric: “Trump has made some very uncomfortable and worrying comments around the UK government, democracy, the Middle East, particularly around equalities and, of course, Ukraine.
Parliamentary addresses during state visits are not automatic but considered a special honour requiring approval from three officials: the Commons Speaker, the Lords Speaker and the Lord Great Chamberlain. All must agree before any foreign leader can speak in Westminster Hall.
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock, a minister in Tony Blair’s government, has written to Lord McFall of Alcluith, the Lord Speaker, warning against allowing Trump to address Parliament “because of his attitude towards and comments about the UK, parliamentary democracy, the Nato Alliance and Ukraine.
“He is not a respecter of democracy, he does not respect the rule of law and we feel it would be inappropriate for him to address parliament,” Lord Foulkes told Times Radio.
The timing of Trump’s expected visit may provide diplomatic cover to avoid any perceived snub. Lord Ricketts, a former UK ambassador to France, noted that Parliament rises on 16 September for party conferences and does not return until 13 October.
“It may be a way of dealing with it in a very diplomatic way,” Ms Osborne acknowledged. “I don’t know how much control we have over Trump’s diary. But if we can manoeuvre it in a way that means that the House isn’t sitting, then that seems like a good solution.”
She added pointedly: “Maybe not perfect, because I’d actually like him to know that he’s not welcome.”
The situation echoes Trump’s first state visit in 2019, when then-Speaker John Bercow blocked him from addressing Parliament. Bercow had declared in February 2017 he was “strongly opposed” to Trump speaking in Westminster Hall, citing “our opposition to racism and to sexism” as “hugely important considerations”.
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,” Bercow had stated, describing such addresses as “not an automatic right” but “an earned honour.
Senior White House sources, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect diplomatic discussions, told The Independent that a parliamentary speech had not been understood to be part of Trump’s planned itinerary.
Buckingham Palace confirmed earlier this week that formal planning for the state visit has begun, following Trump’s announcement that he expected to visit in September. The King had extended the invitation during Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s February meeting with Trump at the White House.
Unlike Macron’s visit, which included a state banquet at Windsor Castle with 160 guests including Mick Jagger and Elton John, Trump is reportedly not expected to visit Buckingham Palace or enjoy a ceremonial carriage ride down the Mall.
Macron used his parliamentary address to celebrate renewed Anglo-French ties and urge both countries to “shoulder the burden of European security” together. He also called for UK support in recognising Palestinian statehood and promised Europe would “never abandon Ukraine.
The French president received the full complement of royal ceremony, being greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales before travelling in horse-drawn carriages to Windsor Castle. King Charles delivered a speech emphasising that both nations “face a multitude of complex threats” requiring unity.
Sajid Javid, who served as communities secretary during Trump’s first visit, defended engagement with the US president. It’s manifestly in our national interest that we reach out to him, we work with him, and that he visits us in the UK,” he previously told the BBC.
Government sources indicated Britain was pressing for a trade deal with the US, describing efforts as “desperate” to secure an agreement before 19 May, when Starmer hosts EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for his planned “EU reset.
The speaker’s office confirmed in a statement: “Formal addresses to both Houses of Parliament are not automatically included in the itinerary of such a state visit. Whether a foreign head of state addresses parliament, during a state visit or otherwise, is part of the planning decisions.”
Some 75 Labour MPs previously backed efforts to block Trump from addressing Parliament during his first term. The early-day motion tabled by Ms Osborne notes Trump’s “misogynism, racism and xenophobia” and condemns his “previous comments on women, refugees and torture”.
Parliamentary records show 80 foreign leaders have addressed members of both Houses since 1935, with recent speakers including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2023, who spoke about the Russian invasion.
The dates for Trump’s state visit have not been formally announced by either Buckingham Palace or the government, though they have not denied September timing following the president’s public confirmation of his plans.
Follow for more updates on Britannia Daily
