19 July,2017 10:12 AM IST | London | Agencies
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan on Monday opposed the UK government's plan to roll out the red carpet for Donald Trump, saying the US President should not be accorded the honour as his policies are at odds with many around the world
Sadiq Khan. Pic/AFP
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan on Monday opposed the UK government's plan to "roll out the red carpet" for Donald Trump, saying the US President should not be accorded the honour as his policies are at odds with many around the world.
"State visits are different from a normal visit and at a time when the President of the USA has policies that many in our country disagree with, I am not sure it is appropriate for our government to roll out the red carpet," said Khan, the first Asian mayor of London.
"If someone has views that I think can be changed I am ready to play my role. If you somehow think it is not possible to be a Muslim and a proud westerner I am happy to disabuse you of that idea, whether you are a reporter for CNN or Donald Trump," Pakistan-origin Khan told CNN.
Khan has previously clashed with Trump on Twitter over his decision to bar people from travelling to the US from mainly Muslim countries and the response to the London Bridge terror attack last month.