An unseemly political row over who should fund the police presence when Donald Trump makes his state visit to the United Kingdom has revealed further hypocrisy among British politicians.
Members of London’s regional government are making unprecedented calls to pass the costs of policing the Presidential visit to the national government to avoid associating themselves with Trump when he comes to England to visit the Queen.
According to precedent, taxpayers in the capital foot the bill for policing major events such as the Trump visit, on the grounds that the work is done by London’s Metropolitan police.
The move is likely to attract accusations of hypocrisy, given that the London Assembly has been happy enough to cover policing for every other state visit.
Controversial events include a state visit by China’s Xi Jinping – whose government is a known and frequently cited human rights abuser – as well as appearances by the king of Saudi Arabia and Vladimir Putin.
As reported by the Evening Standard, Unmesh Desai, a member of London Assembly from the opposition Labour party, said: “The Prime Minister invited the President, the Government should pay for his visit.
“People have a right to demonstrate their opposition to Donald Trump’s divisive policies, and of course those demonstrations should take place safely and peacefully on our capital’s streets.
“But the Met’s resources are already overstretched. Expecting Londoners to cover the policing costs for what is undoubtedly a national event will only put even greater strain on the Met’s budget.”
