Boris Johnson blames Jeremy Corbyn and 'puffed-up popinjay' Sadiq Khan for Trump no-show

Boris Johnson has blamed Jeremy Corbyn and Sadiq Khan for Donald Trump's decision to cancel a planned visit to London to open the new American embassy.



In an extraordinary tweet, the Foreign Secretary described the London mayor - who said the president had "got the message" that the capital did not want him to come - as a "puffed-up pompous popinjay" who was putting US-UK relations at risk.

President Trump confirmed this morning that he was pulling out of his planned visit to London, and blamed the Obama administration for brokering the deal to locate the new embassy in Vauxhall, south London. However, the agreement was actually struck when George W Bush was in the White House.

Reason I canceled my trip to London is that I am not a big fan of the Obama Administration having sold perhaps the best located and finest embassy in London for “peanuts,” only to build a new one in an off location for 1.2 billion dollars. Bad deal. Wanted me to cut ribbon-NO! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 12 January 2018

In a statement, Mr Khan said the real reason for his withdrawal was that he did not want to face the protests which would have inevitably greeted his arrival.

The mayor said: "It appears that President Trump got the message from the many Londoners who love and admire America and Americans but find his policies and actions the polar opposite of our city’s values of inclusion, diversity and tolerance.

"His visit next month would without doubt have been met by mass peaceful protests. This just reinforces what a mistake it was for Theresa May to rush and extend an invitation of a state visit in the first place.

"Let’s hope that Donald Trump also revisits the pursuit of his divisive agenda."

That sparked Mr Johnson's own response on Twitter.

The US is the biggest single investor in the UK - yet Khan & Corbyn seem determined to put this crucial relationship at risk. We will not allow US-UK relations to be endangered by some puffed up pompous popinjay in City Hall. — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) 12 January 2018

His intervention took Downing Street by surprise - and cut across Number 10's attempts to play down the significance of the apparent snub.

Moments before Mr Johnson's tweet, a spokesman for Mrs May said: "No date was confirmed for any visit. The opening of the US embassy is a matter for the US. Our strong and deep partnership will endure."

He added: "The US is one of our oldest and most valued allies. We have a strong and deep partnership that will endure."

However, the spokesman did defend the area where the new embassy is located.

He said: "Vauxhall is a robust and important part of London and home to many businesses."

Neither Mr Corbyn or Mr Khan would comment on Mr Johnson's tweet.