Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey will decline an invitation to the state banquet during US President Donald Trump’s visit to the UK in mid-September, in protest at his stance on Gaza. He and his wife Emily said they had spent the summer weighing the decision and praying about it, and that declining the invitation was the clearest way to send a message to Mr Trump and to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

Davey argued that while an invitation from the King is a major honour, turning it down is consistent with his instincts in this case. He warned that Trump could be hosted at a lavish dinner at one of the UK’s finest palaces without being reminded of the power to press for an end to the Gaza crisis or to secure hostage releases; he suggested Trump could influence Israel and Gulf states to free hostages if he urged Netanyahu to halt the war and used his leverage over Qatar and other Gulf states Hamas relies on.

Trump’s UK visit is scheduled for 17–19 September and will be among the few occasions on which a president receives two state visits. The plan does not include a parliamentary address, as MPs and peers are not sitting during the trip. The move drew criticism from some Conservatives, who said it showed disrespect to the King. Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, described the decision as poor judgement and gesture politics. The report notes that Trump’s first state banquet in 2019 was reportedly snubbed by Jeremy Corbyn, Sir Vince Cable, Ian Blackford and John Bercow.