By Aysu Bicer
LONDON (AA) - London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Friday confirmed he accepts the UK government’s invitation for a second state visit by US President Donald Trump but warned that Londoners will exercise their right to protest during the visit.
Khan, a well-known critic of Trump, previously clashed with the president on social media during his first term.
However, Khan told Sky News that the UK government believes the visit is in the national interest, regardless of his personal feelings about Trump's leadership.
“My views on President Trump in his second term haven’t changed,” Khan said. “But I accept when the government says it’s in the national interest for President Trump to have a state visit.”
The mayor stressed that, despite his reservations about Trump, British citizens should be able to express their opposition freely.
"Londoners and Brits will exercise our right of freedom of speech and freedom of protest and let our views be known," Khan said, implying that protests would be a prominent feature during Trump’s visit.
Khan also weighed in on recent political developments, particularly commenting on the Labour Party’s stance towards Trump.
When asked about Starmer's positive engagement with Trump, Khan described the times as "unprecedented" and acknowledged Starmer's approach to balancing relationships with both the EU and the US.
“I welcome what Keir Starmer’s doing as our prime minister—being really close to Europe and the EU, and being really close to the USA as well,” Khan remarked.
In addition to his comments on Trump, Khan also addressed Vice President JD Vance’s criticisms of free speech in the UK.
He emphasized that the right to protest was fundamental to British democracy, asserting that “we do, in fact, have free speech in this country, which includes the right to protest.”