(Bloomberg) -- Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says he sees no reason to revoke Britain's invitation to Donald Trump after the U.S. president mocked London Mayor Sadiq Khan's response to Saturday's terror attacks in the U.K. capital.
“The invitation has been issued and accepted,” Johnson told BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday. “I see no reason to change that.”
Boris Johnson on June 6.
Trump's taunting of Khan, one of Britain's most prominent Muslims, started within hours of the attack that left seven people dead and dozens injured after the mayor appealed for calm, referring to the increased presence of armed police on the streets. It amplified the following day, with the president lashing out at what he called Khan's “pathetic excuse.”
The comments prompted Tim Farron, leader of the Liberal Democrat party, to call for the invitation for the U.S. leader's visit to be withdrawn.
Johnson, London's former mayor, also defended Khan, saying he had been “entirely right to say what he said to reassure the people of his city.”
The dispute puts Prime Minister Theresa May in an embarrassing position two days before the general election, as polls show her Conservative Party's once-commanding lead has narrowed dramatically. May has already been criticized for her attempts to get as close as possible to Trump, including holding his hand as the two of them walked through the White House in January. May said on Monday that Khan is “doing a good job” and it was “wrong” for people, including Trump, to say otherwise.
May announced Trump would make a state visit to the U.K. later this year, though no date has been made public.
Khan, who on Monday had called for the visit to be canceled, based on Trump's policies, has not responded to any of the president's tweets.
"I'm not in a war with Donald Trump. I've been clear that we have a special relationship with the USA, it's very important we have a close relationship, it takes two to tango," he told ITV on Tuesday morning. "I'm not tangoing with this guy, I've got better things to do. From Saturday until now my focus has been dealing with the aftermath of the horrific attack.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Svenja O'Donnell in London at sodonnell@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alan Crawford at acrawford6@bloomberg.net, Andrew Atkinson
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