Labour’s Wes Streeting has told GB News he will not stand in the way of President Trump making another state visit to the UK.
The Health Secretary had previously voiced opposition to Trump by backing a 2017 petition calling for his state visit to be denied.
The US President has now been invited back to the UK for an unprecedented second state visit, this time by Streeting’s party leader, Keir Starmer.
Asked about his previous stance on the matter, Streeting admitted “I won’t be doing that again”.
Wes Streeting said he would not sign another petition calling for Trump’s visit to be blocked
PA / GB NEWS
He continued: “The relationship between the United States and the UK is absolutely critical for our national security and economic security.
“As we have seen in recent weeks, President Trump is central to this as well. Giving him the honour of a second state visit is historic and is about cementing the importance of the UK-US special relationship and that relationship between President Trump and our country.
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Wes Streeting joined Stephen Dixon and Ellie Costello on GB News
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“Whether people like him or not or people agree with him or not, and certainly we have our political differences.
“President Trump leads a right-wing Republican government in the United States and Keir Starmer leads a centre-left government here at home, so of course there are ideological differences.
“The critical thing is we build common ground in our national interests and our collective interests as the UK, US and the West more generally.”
The Health Secretary admitted that not everyone will be happy with the decision to roll out the red carpet once more for the controversial leader.
Donald Trump has appeared to back Britain’s handover of the Chagos Islands in a major victory for Sir Keir Starmer’s LabourREUTERSHe told GB News that protests may be an inevitability, like they were in 2019 when he last arrived on British shores in a presidential capacity.
“People, I’m sure, will disagree with it. People may even exercise their right to disagree with it and protest”, Streeting said.
“People should not forget that in doing so, they are exercising the very freedom and democracy that we are committed to defending with President Trump.
“If people enjoy Britain’s freedom with democracy, we have got to make sure we defend it.”
Starmer used his trip to the White House to present Trump with King Charles’s invitation.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he accepted the invite and that it would be an “honour” to visit the “fantastic” country.
He said Charles was a “beautiful man, a wonderful man”.