Should the United Kingdom downgrade President Trump’s visit?

But the discussion provided insight into how Trump is viewed by one of America’s closest allies.

And he said a state visit matters “because, put simply, diplomacy matters” and that the Government chose to use this tool early on in Mr Trump’s presidency “to maximise the diplomatic significance of a state visit”. When Bush came in 2003, thousands took to the streets to protest the Iraq War. The order has since been suspended by US courts.

“And even in the first weeks of his presidency he has had a viscerally anti-immigrant line”.

The government, however, has ruled out a recall.

But concluding the debate, Sir Alan said: “This is a special moment for the special relationship”.

Evans’s argument boils down to two points: One, which was used to respond to Bercow as well, is that the United Kingdom has granted the honor of state visits to characters more dubious than Trump.

“We can not accept the denigration of a free press, the denigration of a judiciary, the denigration of women, the denigration of religious minorities”.

This evening the people of St Davids are joining the national movement to say “no” to Mr Trump’s proposed state visit. It does not object to normal, run-of-the-mill visits.

Any petition that garners more than 100,000 signatures must receive debate time in Parliament.

This one attracted 1.85 million.

Labour MP Paul Flynn opened the debate by highlighting the fact that Mr Trump is only the third USA president to be given the honour of a state visit and said he was invited too soon in his already highly controversial presidency. That petition received 310,000 signatures.

The British citizens think that he should not meet the Queen. They are such elaborate affairs they’re planned well in advance.

The protests were an extension of the Day Without Immigrants protests against Trump in the USA, where businesses run by foreign-born citizens temporarily closed.

The Labour veteran added: ‘I believe for that reason alone that we should consider this, and the Government should consider this with a bit of humility… and change the invitation to one for a visit, not a state visit’. No exact date has been set, but it’s reportedly to be late summer or early fall. No US President has ever before been granted a state visit during his first year in office, reported CNN. The Queen also acts as the host and have her guests stay in either the Windsor Castle or The Buckingham palace.

State visits are distinct from official visits, and see foreign leaders welcomed with royal pomp and military ceremony.

A similar petition previous year calling to ban Trump from the country also received enough signatures to merit discussion in Parliament. Incidentally, Bercow now faces a no-confidence motion, according to Bloomberg.

Several reports here have suggested the visit has been shifted to later in the year to ensure it happens while Parliament is on break – to save face.

“There is something quite refreshing about a politician actually doing what they said they would do before they were elected”, Holloway said, during a Westminster Hall debate on a petition calling for Trump’s visit to be cancelled. Neither could be independently confirmed.

In the end, the protests, the petition, the debate don’t really matter. Instead, the government will respond in the Commons.