The UK politician who said Donald Trump should be banned from addressing the British parliament spent more than £11,000 ($13,000) of public money welcoming Chinese premier Xi Jinping – whose country stands accused of a massive range of human rights abuses – so that he could deliver a speech to politicians in London.
Newly published figures show that the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, was happy to host the Chinese politico under whose watch harassment, imprisonment and torture are said to be routine.
When Xi Jinping addressed British politicians in October 2015, the sum of £9,339 was spent on staging, lighting and filming; a further £1,593 was spent hiring furniture; and £246 was spent on flowers. Not quite rolling out a red carpet, but something like that.
And yet within a couple of weeks of Trump taking office in January, having won a democratic election, the thimble-sized Bercow jumped up and down like an angry pixie, wailing that in his opinion Trump should not be accorded the same honour as Xi Jinping when he makes a state visit to the UK later this year.
Last month Bercow said: ‘Before the imposition of the migrant ban I would myself have been strongly opposed to an address by Mr Trump in Westminster Hall. After the imposition of the migrant ban by President Trump I am even more strongly opposed to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall.’
He added: ‘We value our relationship with the US … However, as far as this place is concerned, I feel very strongly that our opposition to racism, and to sexism, and our support for equality before the law and an independent judiciary are important considerations in the House of Commons.’
Bercow also said that addressing parliament during a state visit is ‘not an automatic right, it is an earned honour.’
Especially if you are happy to preside over a system accused of discriminating against minorities; persecuting people for their religious beliefs; torture; and a state ban on a free press, it seems.
Welcome to Britain in 2017.
