Sir Ed Davey is set to boycott Donald Trump’s state banquet next month over accusations the US president has not used his power to end the “horrifying” war in Gaza.
The Liberal Democrat leader suggested the US president and Sir Keir Starmer were hoping to merely “close their eyes and wish this away” rather than act on the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Gaze Strip.
In an announcement that led the Tories to accuse him of “deep disrespect” to the King, Sir Ed confirmed on Wednesday that he would decline an invitation to the dinner, set to take place during Mr Trump’s state visit in mid-September.
Sir Ed said he and his wife Emily had “spent all summer thinking about this” and had “prayed about it”, before deciding it was “the one way” to send a message to both Mr Trump and Sir Keir.
He said: “There is no honour like an invitation from the King, and not to accept his invitation goes against all of our instincts.
“But I fear we could have a situation where Donald Trump comes to our country, is honoured with a lavish dinner at one of our finest palaces, yet no one reminds him that he has the power to stop the horrifying starvation and death in Gaza and get the hostages released.
“If Donald Trump tells Benjamin Netanyahu to stop this, it ends tomorrow. If Donald Trump uses his influence over Qatar and the other Gulf states that Hamas relies on, all the hostages could come home tomorrow.”
Mr Trump has offered mixed signals on Israel’s war in Gaza, calling for an end to the conflict and the “real starvation” in the territory while rejecting calls to recognise a Palestinian state and proposing to remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and redevelop it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.
Meanwhile, the conflict continues, with the world’s leading authority on food security last week confirming Gaza City was suffering from a famine and Israel accused of killing five journalists and 15 others in a strike on a hospital in Gaza on Monday.
Sir Ed added: “Boycotting the banquet is the one way I can send a message to Donald Trump and Keir Starmer that they can’t close their eyes and wish this away.
“We have to speak up. They have to act. Donald Trump must act to end this humanitarian crisis.”
Mr Trump’s state visit, scheduled to take place between 17 and 19 September, is his second, making him one of the few world leaders to be invited for two state visits.
The honour is usually reserved for monarchs, with Queen Margrethe II of Denmark the last person to make a second state visit in 2000, although French president Raymond Poincare made two state visits in the early 20th century.
Details of Mr Trump’s visit are still to be announced, but it will not include an address to parliament as the Lords and Commons are not sitting while he is in the country.
The state visit follows a more low-key trip to Scotland in July, during which he hosted Sir Keir at his Turnberry golf course.
In response to Sir Ed’s announcement on Wednesday, shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said: “[This] is an act of deep disrespect to His Majesty the King.
“It shows appalling judgment. America is our closest ally and security partner, and the world’s biggest economy.
“Ed Davey has once again proved he is not a serious leader and more interested in pathetic gesture politics.”
