The Labour party is of course entitled to espouse all manner of puerile and backward-looking ideas. That is their privilege as a kind of glorified Momentum-based protest group.

But in opposing the visit of the President of the United States to this country, they risk actually damaging the national interest.

From Jeremy Corbyn downwards, Labour figures have been fulminating against what should be a routine event in the diplomatic calendar. So let me give them some facts.

Donald Trump is the elected President of the world’s greatest and most powerful democracy – and a country that also happens to be our closest ally.

He was voted into office by millions of Americans – not bad people, but on the whole good and kindly people with whom we are connected by old ties of blood and friendship and with whom we have the single most extraordinary economic relationship.

In 2016 the people of the United States not only elected Donald Trump; they bought £100 billion of British goods and services. That is more than twice what we sold to Germany – our second biggest export market. Fully one fifth of everything we sell overseas goes to America.