British Lawmakers Call Out Trump’s Tweet About UK Visit Cancellation

President Donald Trump cancelled his visit to the United Kingdom — his first since taking office — which was scheduled to happen in February this year, multiple reports revealed Thursday. The reason he gave for cancelling his visit was heavily criticized by British politicians.

During his visit, he was supposed to inaugurate the new U.S. embassy in London as well as hold talks with U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May on Feb. 26 -27. Trump put the blame of having to cancel his U.K. visit on former President Barack Obama.

After Trump’s tweet, a number of British politicians celebrated the fact he will not be visiting their country, adding that the reason he gave for cancelling was untrue. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said Trump finally got the message that he was unwelcome in the U.K, which is why he canceled his visit.

“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,” Khan said, Mail Online reported.

“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,” Khan added.

Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, suggested that Trump might have dropped the idea of visiting the Great Britain because he was aware of just how much his ideologies differed with those of the British people.

“I think it's a great shame; the United States is very much one of our closest allies, but the alliance isn't based on who lives in the White House and who lives in Number 10, it's based on shared values, common interests and absolute commitment to the international rules-based system which we have both spent the best part of 70 years upholding through Nato, through the United Nations and through various other treaty organizations around the world,” he said.

He added Trump might have been extra-aware of the British people’s hate for him because they criticized him in a language he could actually read and understand.

“While I think it's a shame, I think - if I'm honest - it more reflects the fact that other people criticize in French, Italian, Korean and other languages and we criticise in English, and it's much easier for him to read English,” he said.

Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson Jo Swinson also criticized Trump for cancelling his plan to visit the U.K., but directed part of her remark toward British Prime Minister Theresa May for not going one-upmanship on the president by announcing the decision first.

“News that Trump has thrown his toys out of the pram and cancelled his trip to the UK will be welcomed by all of us who reject his abhorrent views,” she said. “But it's a disappointing sign of how weak May's leadership is that she wasn't brave enough to call the visit off herself.”

“The Prime Minister should be ashamed that she was so keen to roll out the red carpet to a man who spreads hate and division at every turn, and goes out of his way to undermine British values,” she added.

There were also those who believed that Trump’s decision to cancel his trip was due to a public campaign against him led by some British politicians. Ukip leader Nigel Farage, who is also an ally of the president, said he was “disappointed” that Trump had to cancel his plans due to Khan and Labor party leader Jeremy Corbyn’s protests.

“Maybe, just maybe, Sadiq Khan, Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party planning mass protests, maybe those optics he didn't like the look of,” he said.

The following are a few more tweets from British politicians regarding Trump’s decision.