London reacts to Trump snub

A waxwork of Donald Trump outside the US embassy in London
A waxwork of Donald Trump outside the US embassy in London
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By Euronews
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London is reacting to President Trump's decision not to visit the British capital as scheduled.

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Donald Trump can't make it to London so Madame Tussaud's museum has set up a waxwork Trump outside the US embassy in Battersea.

The American president says he is cancelling a scheduled visit to the British capital over the cost of the new embassy.

But not everyone believes him.

"He's scared at the hundreds of thousands of people that will be here, peacefully protesting against his visit because of his racist and his misogynistic views," said Labour MP Marsha de Cordova. "So for us, here in Battersea, we welcome the fact that he's not coming."

Jeremy Shapiro of the European Council on Foreign Relations cautioned against trying to make sense of Trump's decision to postpone his trip.

"I think we have this tendency to assume the Donald Trump has strategies. It could really well be that he's already going to Davos and he doesn't want to make another trip," Shapiro said.  "It could be that he's afraid of protests; it could be he hates the United Kingdom. Who knows. He does it on the basis of his mood, not on the basis of any policy."

Britain's foreign secretary Boris Johnson reminded critics of the importance of US investment and blamed Labour politicians for endangering the transatlantic relationship.

"The US is the biggest single investor in the UK - yet [London Mayor Sadiq] Khan & [Labour leader Jeremy] Corbyn seem determined to put this crucial relationship at risk. We will not allow US-UK relations to be endangered by some puffed up pompous popinjay in City Hall." Johnson said in a tweet.

It's a concern shared by Emanuel Adam, Director of Trade and Policy at the London-based British American Business.

The transatlantic trade partnership creates millions of jobs and is worth hundreds of millions of euros.

"From a business point of view, we would caution against the distraction that politics can create over the quality that need to be seen underneath it," Emanuel told euronews. "When it comes to the callibration between UK and US government officials, we see actually a very strong and very good relationship right now that we are very happy about."

Trump has not ruled out a visit to the British capital in the future.

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