Theresa May has told Donald Trump that she looks forward to welcoming him to the UK for a state visit next year, after the government dismissed a petition from 1.8 million people calling for it to be cancelled.



The prime minister had a phone call with Trump on Tuesday afternoon in which the visit was discussed, along with trade and security.

Downing Street would give no further details other than to say it was “part of their regular engagement”.



“The prime minister said she looks forward to welcoming him later this year,” a spokesman said.



There has been speculation that May could reschedule the visit for parliamentary recess to avoid the issue of whether Trump would address both the Commons and the Lords, which John Bercow, the Speaker, has said he would opposes.



A weekend visit at the very end of August or in September is now thought to be under discussion between the government, Buckingham Palace and the White House but No 10 has repeatedly refused to be drawn on the itinerary.

A state visit would usually mean the Queen hosting the president, who has talked of his late mother’s admiration for the monarch, but the trip is likely to be marked by protests against Trump’s approach towards issues such as immigration, refugees, climate change, torture and other controversies.



The outgoing Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, said on Tuesday the cost of policing state visits and protests was a drain on policing, as he pressed the government for more money to keep London safe and stop money being diverted from regular law enforcement.

Hogan-Howe, who retires later this month, said: “I’m sure the government recognises the economic value of a safe capital and won’t put my successor into the position of having to choose between this and keeping our neighbourhoods safe.

He said peaceful protests after Trump’s travel ban that were staged in London required 500 to 1,000 officers to be deployed in case they turned violent.



Earlier on Tuesday, the government wrote to the 1.8 million people who signed the petition against Trump’s visit, saying he should be granted the “full courtesy” of a state visit to the UK.



The petition, which is being considered for debate in parliament, called for Trump to be allowed to enter the UK but not be granted an official state visit “because it would cause embarrassment to Her Majesty the Queen”.

Trump was invited on a state visit to the UK by May when she travelled to Washington last month. Official invitations for such visits, which include meeting the royal family, are not usually extended to US presidents until several years into their terms.

In an email sent to petition signatories, the Foreign Office said the government “recognises the strong views expressed by the many signatories of this petition, but does not support this petition”.

Preparations would continue for the state visit, the statement said. “This invitation reflects the importance of the relationship between the United States of America and the United Kingdom. At this stage, final dates have not yet been agreed for the state visit.”

The visit has already caused controversy in the House of Commons, after Bercow said he would refuse permission for Trump to address Westminster Hall because of parliament’s historic opposition to racism and sexism.

The Speaker’s remarks drew calls for him to quit from some Conservative backbenchers, and MP James Duddridge is collecting signatures for a vote of no confidence in the Speaker.

However, only a handful of Tory MPs have publicly supported plans to remove Bercow, including Andrew Bridgen, Karl McCartney, Daniel Kawczynski and Nadine Dorries.

Officials are said to be keen to limit the president’s public exposure generally during the visit in order to minimise the opportunities for protest.

The UK’s Stop Trump Coalition of anti-Trump MPs and activists included Owen Jones, who helped organise demonstrations against the president’s executive order, later overturned, banning entry to the US from seven Muslim-majority countries.

The group, backed by trade unions including Unison and celebrities such as singer Paloma Faith, says it is planning demonstrations on 20 February to coincide with the parliamentary debate on the state visit.

Jones, a Guardian columnist, said: “Donald Trump’s state visit will be marked by the biggest protest against racism and hatred in our country’s history. It doesn’t matter where he goes. We will march in our millions against him, and our government’s collusion, in every town and city in Britain.”

Tim Farron, the Lib Dem leader, criticised the decision to reject the petition. “The desperation of this government knows no limits,” he said. “Rolling out the red carpet to a man who stands for everything that Britain doesn’t is disgusting.”