Bercow BANS Trump from addressing Parliament: Commons Speaker brands US President 'racist and sexist' - but had no problem with the President of CHINA
- Speaker said he is 'strongly opposed' to the President speaking in Westminster
- Bercow is one of three powerful 'key holders' to the historic Westminster Hall
- As an invited guest on a state visit Trump might have expected to make a speech
- Bercow allowed leaders of China, Kuwait and Qatar speak to MPs and peers
Donald Trump was branded 'racist and sexist' as Commons Speaker John Bercow revealed the US President will be barred from making a speech at Westminster Hall on his state visit.
In an extraordinary broadside from the Speaker's chair, he said Mr Trump's controversial ban on migrants from seven majority Muslim countries had left him 'even more strongly opposed' to a speech than he had been.
But Mr Bercow previously had no objections to leaders of controversial regimes including China, Kuwait and Qatar addressing MPs and peers in both houses.
Speaker John Bercow, pictured rebuking Donald Trump in the Commons today, said his opposition to a speech in Parliament by Donald Trump had been increased by the President's migrant ban
Speaker Bercow was applauded by MPs after his intervention, prompted by a point of order from Labour MP Stephen Doughty
US President Donald Trump speaking to troops at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida
The Speaker is one of three 'key holders' for the ancient hall who must agree to its use and if he refuses to cooperate it will be impossible for Theresa May to extend a speaking invitation to the US President.
Mr Bercow was applauded by MPs after branding Mr Trump racist and sexist but despite its acclaim the tirade is likely to provoke a diplomatic headache in No 10 and at Buckingham Palace.
Mr Trump's executive order provoked protests around the world and has been suspended by US judges as unconstitutional.
Share this article
He told MPs: 'What I will say is this: an address by a foreign leader to both Houses of Parliament is not an automatic right, it is an earned honour.
'Moreover, there are many precedents for state visits to take place to our country which do not include an address to both Houses of Parliament.
'Before the imposition of the migrant ban, I would myself have been strongly opposed to an address by President 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.'
Mr Bercow said he has less influence over whether a speech could be made by President Trump in the Royal Gallery because it is in a different part of the building.
But he told MPs it was customary for an invitation to be sent in the names of both speakers of Parliament - himself and Lords Speaker Lord Fowler.
'I would not wish to issue an invitation to President Trump to speak in the Royal Gallery,' he told MPs.
Mr Bercow concluded: 'We value our relationship with the United States; if a state visit takes place that is way beyond and above the pay grade of the Speaker.
'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 hugely important considerations in the House of Commons.'
The speech was in response to a point of order raised by Labour MP Stephen Doughty.
He spoke to highlight a Commons motion opposing Mr Trump's speech. It has been signed by 163 MPs - mostly from Labour and the SNP.
But the intervention was slammed by ex-Ukip leader Nigel Farage who said: 'For Speaker Bercow to uphold our finest parliamentary traditions, he should be neutral.'
No 10 sources played down the intervention, insisting the itinerary for the visit had not been set and would be discussed 'in due course'.
Speaker Bercow made his extraordinary intervention in the House of Commons today in response to a point of order
Speaker Bercow raised no public objection to Chinese President Xi Jinping speaking to MPs and peers in the Royal Gallery in 2015. He watched on from the platform (pictured)
John Bercow with the Emir of Kuwait - a country which bans Israelis and uses Sharia Law in family disputes
Britain and China toasted a 'golden age' of relations with a State Visit festooned with regal pomp and pageantry but overshadowed by concerns about national security, human rights and economic rivalry
Mr Trump is due to visit Britain for a state visit later this year. A normal part of the programme would be a speech to MPs and peers in Parliament.
Barack Obama addressed Parliament in Westminster Hall while Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan used the opulent Royal Gallery, which is behind the House of Lords.
Prime Minister Theresa May extended an invite to Mr Trump for a state visit on her trip to Washington earlier this month - marking the earliest invite for a new US president in decades.
Mr Bercow personally welcomed Chinese president Xi Jinping for a speech in the Royal Gallery in 2015 - but used a speech to rebuke him over human rights and democracy.
TEN PREVIOUS STATE VISITS THAT ATTRACTED CONTROVERSY
From protesters toppling an effigy of George W Bush to demos against China's human rights record, state visits to the UK have had their fair share of controversy. Leaders of countries, seen as having backward laws - including Sharia Law - and issues with human rights, have been welcomed by the British governments in the past. And at least three controversial figures were allowed to address parliament by Mr Bercow himself.
2012 - Kuwait's Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, gave an address to members of both Houses of Parliament on Thursday, November 29 in the Queen's Robing Room, as part of his state visit to the UK
Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, gave an address to members of both Houses of Parliament on Thursday, November 29 in the Queen's Robing Room, as part of his state visit to the UK.
Following his arrival at Sovereign's Entrance, The Emir of Kuwait was received by Black Rod, Lieutenant General David Leakey and was taken to the Queen's Robing Room.
Commons Speaker, John Bercow MP, gave a welcome address introducing The Emir of Kuwait's speech.
Kuwait has banned its citizens from entering 'into an agreement, personally or indirectly, with entities or persons residing in Israel, or with Israeli citizenship'.
The country also uses Sharia Law for family disputes - where a woman's testimony is not valued as highly as a man's.
2015 - China's President Xi Jinping
The extraordinary intervention at a key moment in British-Chinese relations will cause deep embarrassment for the government which hopes to use the visit to secure billions of pounds in trade deals. Pictured is President Xi addressing MPs and peers
Protesters attempting to highlight human rights violations clashed with pro-China supporters during a procession welcoming Chinese president Xi to the UK.
Scuffles broke out between the two groups after the police perimeter set up for protesters was ignored by both sides.
But thousands of supporters also lined The Mall to welcome Xi Jinping with flags, T-shirts and hats - provided by the Chinese embassy.
1971 - Japan's Emperor Hirohito
Emperor Hirohito, Japan's wartime head of state, made his first state visit to Britain in 1971
Emperor Hirohito, Japan's wartime head of state, made his first state visit to Britain in 1971.
Former prisoners of war - angry at Japan's brutal militaristic past - protested by standing in silence as his carriage drove past.
Some turned their back on the emperor and wore red gloves to symbolise war deaths while others whistled the popular Second World War march, Colonel Bogey.
They called on Japan to offer them compensation and a full apology for their treatment during the war.
1978 Romania's Nicolae Ceausescu
The President of Rumania, Nicolae Ceausescu, rides through London with the Queen in an open carriage, at the start of his state visit
It was the first state visit by a Communist head of state to the UK and Romania was already well-known as one of the most corrupt and oppressive of the Soviet Union's Cold War satellite states.
The Queen took drastic steps to avoid meeting Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu any more than necessary, according to royal author Robert Hardman.
'While walking her dogs in the Palace gardens, she spotted Ceausescu and his wife Elena heading in her direction.
'As the Queen told a lunch guest some years later, she decided the best course of action was to hide behind a bush rather than conduct polite conversation,' he wrote.
1998 Japan's Emperor Akihito
Just like his father did in 1971, Akihito met obvious hostility on London's streets from British prisoners of war.
Former PoWs symbolically turned their backs on him, while others jeered him.
Addressing the state banquet, Akihito spoke of his 'deep sorrow and pain' over the suffering inflicted by his country during the war, but did not apologise for the treatment of prisoners in work camps.
2003 - Russia's Vladimir Putin
Her Majesty invited Russian President Vladimir Putin for a state visit in June 2003
Mr Putin's historic trip was the first by a Russian head of state since Tsar Nicholas I in 1843.
Amnesty International and other human rights groups used the visit to highlight ongoing reports of killings, rape and torture by Russian forces in Chechnya.
2003 - US president George W Bush
Tens of thousands of people came out to protest against George W Bush over the war in Iraq when the Queen hosted him in 2003. Pictured, the Queen and the President at Windsor Castle
President George Bush's state visit, while Tony Blair was prime minister, was highly controversial.
Tens of thousands of people came out to protest against the American leader and the war in Iraq, amid unprecedented security for a state visit.
Demonstrations throughout Mr Bush's stay were mostly peaceful, and peaked with the toppling of an effigy of Mr Bush in Trafalgar Square, which parodied scenes of the capture of Baghdad.
Stop The War Coalition said some 200,000 joined the demonstration.
One protester threw an egg at the presidential cavalcade, but missed.
2005 - Chinese president Hu Jintao
Tony Blair, Prime Minister, sees off President Hu Jintao of China (waving) from 10 Downing Street, London
Noisy protests against Chinese rule in Tibet targeted Hu Jintao's state carriage procession.
The Metropolitan Police was criticised for its hardline handling of the peaceful demonstrations, and admitted following a High Court case its officers acted unlawfully when they removed protesters' banners and flags.
The Prince of Wales, a supporter of the Dalai Lama, had been accused of boycotting a Chinese state visit to the UK in 1999 by failing to attend the return banquet held for then-president Jiang Zemin.
This time, during Hu Jintao's stay, Charles carefully side-stepped the issue by being out of the country on a tour of the US on the night of the official dinner.
He did not meet Mr Hu on the remaining two days of his visit.
2007 - Saudi Arabia's king Abdullah
Saudi Arabia's king Abdullah's state visit in 2007 revived controversy over his regime's abuse of human rights
The first state visit by a Saudi king to the UK for 20 years revived controversy over the regime's abuse of human rights and the government's halting of a Serious Fraud Office bribery inquiry into the al-Yamamah arms deal.
Tensions surrounding the trip were heightened when the king insisted in an interview Britain was not doing enough to tackle terrorism.
Around 100 human rights and anti-arms trade activists jeered and shouted 'shame on you' as the royal procession passed along The Mall in central London.
2010 - Qatar's Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
Prince Philip, Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, Queen Elizabeth II and Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
Queen Elizabeth II and Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
The Emir of Qatar - a country which practices Sharia Law, involving lashes as punishments - was welcomed by Mr Bercow on October 26, 2010.
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani was welcomed by the Commons Speaker, John Bercow and thanked by the Lord Speaker, Baroness Hayman.
The Sheikh also met the Queen with his second of three wives, Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned.
The Commons Speaker said China should aspire to be seen as a 'moral inspiration' to the world as it takes its place as an international superpower.
Mr Bercow said 'the world will be watching' the Asian nation's progress.
Mr Bercow referred to 'the wise Chinese words' that 'it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness'.
'We very much hope that your time here will assist the process of illumination,' he told Mr Xi.
He has also welcomed other controversial leaders, including the Emir of Kuwait in 2012 and the Emir of Qatar in 2010.
Commons speakers are among the most powerful people within the Westminster system but they are expected to be independent.
By tradition, when elected speakers are literally dragged to the Commons chair.
But once installed convention dictates they set aside their own politics to stand up for the rights of all MPs.
Donald Trump, pictured at MacDill airforce base today, is due to visit Britain for a state visit later this year. A normal part of the programme would be a speech to MPs and peers in Parliament
US President Donald Trump speaks following a visit to the US Central Command and Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida today
Mr Trump is due to visit Britain for a state visit later this year. A normal part of the programme would be a speech to MPs and peers in Parliament
HOW BERCOW WELCOMED CONTROVERSIAL LEADERS AS THEY ADDRESSED PARLIAMENT
John Bercow's welcome to Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2015
'It is my pleasure to introduce the leader of a nation that is both very ancient and truly modern to a Parliament that is both very ancient and truly modern.
'It is a reflection of our changing times that we have hosted no fewer than four prominent daughters and sons of Asia in our Parliament in the past three years, starting with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, democracy champion and international symbol of the innate human right of freedom.
'Your visit here today, Mr President, reinforces the links between the United Kingdom and China.
China's President, Xi Jinping addresses MPs and peers in Parliament's Royal Gallery on October 20, 2015 in London
'Those links are social and personal as well as economic and political and are all the stronger for that.
'This trip should provide the means for both sides to come to understand one another better. The Chinese people have many, many, friends in this Parliament.
'Those friends are familiar with what you, Mr President, have described as the "Chinese Dream" and which others have referred to as a second Chinese Revolution.
'Your country is engaged in an experience and an experiment without equal in history.
'You are attempting to complete an industrial revolution which took Britain the better part of two centuries in little more than two decades. Your country has seen a transformation in how its people work and in what they rightly expect for themselves, for their families and for their society. The enormous challenge of how to deal with this falls to you and to your colleagues.
'Yet what China does, economically but also politically, is seen by, and relevant to not merely your own 1.5bn citizens. It is seen by and relevant to billions more across the globe.
'The world will be watching and waiting expectantly on the outcome as the emerging superpower that is China takes its new place in the world. In this century, no country can exist in isolation: in all matters, from international law to individual liberty, we should all aspire to be seen not merely as a powerful force in the world, but as a moral inspiration to it.
'In all this, we can usefully reflect on the wise Chinese words that it is
'We very much hope that your time here will assist the process of illumination. On behalf of our Parliament I invite you, Mr President, to address us.'
Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow listens as the Emir of Kuwait
John Bercow's welcome to Emir of Kuwait in 2012
'Your Highness it is my privilege to welcome you here to our Parliament for this important stage of your state visit.
'Your presence here today is a welcome reminder of the many intimate ties that exist between our nations and our peoples, born of history, tested in conflict after the outrageous invasion of your country in 1990 and continuing to this day in the realms of diplomacy, trade and cultural exchange.
'Kuwait has long been a nation of innovation in its region, the site of the oldest directly elected Parliament in its area, a long-standing and potent force within the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation and the Gulf Co-operation Council, and a pioneer in the political representation of women.
'You are one of the most experienced statesmen in the Middle East having served as Foreign Minister for an astonishing 40 years, followed by 3 years as Prime Minister before your elevation to be the Amir.
'It is a record of remarkable duration which many colleagues might wish to imitate, but probably should not!
'Your visit comes after two years of extraordinary turmoil across the Arab world. Change, as you have publicly recognised, is essential if the popular demand for representation is to be met, human rights entrenched and prosperity enhanced.
'Our two countries are signatories to a range of international human rights conventions and compliance with their letter and spirit is vital. Equality before the law, irrespective of race, gender, disability or orientation, is fundamental to our society here in the UK and we expect to be held to that standard.
'Naturally, we hope that that principle of equality will be practised and championed across the world. Rest assured there are many, many friends of your country both within this Parliament and Britain at large and we all stand ready to support Kuwait in exercising leadership in a modern, open and progressive direction.
'Your presence here can only encourage dialogue between us. I therefore invite you to address this audience and I look forward enormously to hearing what you have to say.'
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: 'Well said John Bercow. We must stand up for our country's values.
'Trump's State Visit should not go ahead.'
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: 'This is the right decision by The Speaker.
'The Prime Minister might wish to kowtow to the nasty misogynist that now sits in the Oval Office but no-one else does.
'We do not want him to speak to us. He is not welcome. 'Speaking within Parliament is a rare honour, the highest honour we can offer.
'In the past we have hosted speeches from leaders in equality, justice and human rights from Mandela to Obama to Aung San Suu Kyi. Trump is not fit to shine their shoes.'
Barack Obama was granted the rare honour of a speech in Westminster Hall during a state visit to Britain in 2011
Other leaders - such as President Ronald Reagan in 1982, pictured - have addressed MPs and peers from the opulent Royal Gallery behind the House of Lords
BARACK OBAMA AND GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL HAVE ADDRESSED PARLIAMENT IN RECENT YEARS
Barack Obama gave the first address in Westminster Hall by a President of the United States to Members of both Houses of Parliament in 2001, as part of his State Visit to the UK.
He arrived at the Sovereign's Entrance and received a tour of the Palace of Westminster. Preceded by the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, President Obama was conducted into Westminster Hall by the Lord Great Chamberlain to give his address.
His speech focused on the shared characteristics between the UK and the US, including historic ties, shared values and beliefs, and common values.
Barack Obama, bows slightly next to Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow (right) and The Lord Speaker Baroness Hayman (second left) after finishing his speech to members of British Parliment inside Westminster Hall in 2011
German Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses members of both the House of Lords and the House of Commons in the Royal Gallery at the Palace of Westminster in February last year
He also covered the role the two countries have played in shaping the economic environment and conditions for emerging economies, such as Brazil, China and India, the contributions of the UK and USA to the global economy, the situations in Afghanistan, Middle Eastern and North African countries, the rights of women and of citizens and also the rights and responsibilities of all nations.
Commons Speaker, John Bercow gave a welcome address introducing President Obama's speech and Baroness Hayman gave a valedictory address thanking the US President following his speech.
Last year the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, addressed members of both Houses of Parliament in the Royal Gallery of the Palace of Westminster, where Chinese President Xi made a speech today.
Before Merkel, the last German leader to address both Houses of Parliament was Richard Von Weizsäcker, the president of West Germany, in April 1986.
John Bercow, also gave a welcome address introducing Chancellor Merkel's speech. The Lord Speaker, Baroness D'Souza, thanked Chancellor Merkel following her speech.
After the address Chancellor Merkel had the opportunity to view a selection of works of art from the Parliamentary Art Collection and acts from the Parliamentary Archives on display in the Robing Room. The artefacts were chosen to represent the UK's connections with Germany.
Most watched News videos
- Mum's tribute to boy left in vegetative state after pier flip
- George Stephanopoulos makes shock pronouncement on Biden
- Tourist carries baby along narrow mountain ledge with no equipment
- Frustrated Londoner calls eco-idiots 'w******' for vandalising roads
- Joe Biden jokes with Keir Starmer after England win over Netherlands
- 'Ali Baba trousers': The Reaction analyse Angela Rayner's outfit
- Jon Stewart rips into Biden slamming him for excuses for poor debate
- Blaze breaks out in spire of France's famous Rouen Cathedral
- Triple murder suspect stretchered out of cemetery after huge manhunt
- 'Heartbreaking day': Presenter pays tribute to colleague John Hunt
- Police cordon off Bushey crime scene after three women murdered
- 'Is it coming home Prime Minister?': Starmer reacts to England win
