I have had a stream of emails demanding that the invitation to the President of the USA to make a state visit to the UK, be withdrawn.
As the PM said, she is running a government not a protest movement.
The hint is in the name ‘state visit’. This is not the visit of an individual and does not express any support for the individual’s policies. It is an expression of the importance of the relationship between our two states. This is why comparisons with other US presidents who made their state visits to the UK much later in their presidencies are so wide of the mark. The situation then was radically different.
We are about to begin negotiations to leave the EU and profoundly change our place in the world. We have a significant agenda to cement with the nation that is our largest individual trading partner and our most important strategic ally. At the same time, its new president had signalled radical departures in respect of policy towards free trade and enduring alliances.
Whatever our reservations, it is both vital and urgent that we exercise the greatest influence that we can in our national interests. The state visit is an important part of that process.