LONDON

The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, has called for the planned state visit of the king to the US in April to be cancelled amid rising tensions between the UK and the US over the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Davey said in a statement on Sunday that Prime Minister Keir Starmer should advise King Charles to “call off” his planned trip, arguing the visit “should not be given to someone who repeatedly insults and damages our country.”

He said the current situation made the visit inappropriate, adding: “At a time when Trump has launched an illegal war that is devastating the Middle East and pushing up energy bills for British families, it’s clear this visit should not go ahead.”

Davey warned that a state visit would be seen as a major diplomatic victory for US President Donald Trump, at a time when, in his view, relations between the two governments are strained.

Meanwhile, Britons overwhelmingly describe themselves as “anti-Trump” with stark political divides in how supporters of different parties view US President Donald Trump, according to new YovGov polling on Monday.

Around two-thirds of Britons (67%) said they are anti-Trump, including 56% who consider themselves to be very anti-Trump.

Earlier on Saturday, Trump stated on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he does not want British aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East. “We don't need people that join wars after we've already won,” he said.

He publicly criticized Starmer over his response to the conflict involving Iran.

Previously, he said the British leader was “not Winston Churchill” and accused him of damaging international relationships.

Trump also criticized the UK government’s immigration and energy policies, describing them as "horrible," and urged Britain to remove what he called “sharia courts” and expand oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.