By Jon Vale & Shaun Connolly
Jeremy CORBYN has distanced himself from the so-called “special relationship”, saying America is not Britain’s most important relationship with another country.
The Labour leader said the UK had to maintain many important relationships around the world, as he hit out at “endless offensive remarks” by US President Donald Trump about women, minorities and different faiths.
His comments came as shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry called Mr Trump “a danger” and “a racist”.
READ MORE: President has been a headline maker in dealings with Scotland
However, Tory Party chairman Brandon Lewis said it was right an invitation for a state visit had been extended to President Trump.
Mr Corbyn, appearing on ITV’s Peston On Sunday, was asked if Britain’s relationship with the US was the most important relationship it has with another country.
The Labour leader replied: “No. I think there are many important relationships.
“The US one is obviously culturally and economically significant and important.
“Also, the trading relationships we have around the world with obviously the EU, but also with India and China and the rest of the world, are very important.
“Also, our relationship with international institutions such as the United Nations is very important.”
READ MORE: President has been a headline maker in dealings with Scotland
Mr Corbyn acknowledged having a relationship with and influence over the US was important “because it is such a huge military and economic power around the world”.
He added: “I’m not sure anyone has succeeded in defining the special relationship.
“I’ve asked about the special relationship and I was told once, by a former prime minister, I won’t name the person, that if they specified what the special relationship was, it wouldn’t be a special relationship.”
The so-called special relationship, a phrase coined by Sir Winston Churchill in the wake of the Second World War, has endured through several decades but was arguably at its strongest when the Tories and Republicans were in power, with Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan described as “ideological soul mates”.
Just days after Mr Trump took office, Mrs May visited the White House, briefly holding hands with him, and the US President pledged his “lasting support to this most special relationship”.
But relations quickly became more strained, with Mrs May denouncing Mr Trump’s travel restrictions on Muslims as “divisive and wrong”.
READ MORE: President has been a headline maker in dealings with Scotland
She later rebuked Mr Trump after intelligence shared with the US in the wake of the Manchester terror attack was leaked to American media and the two leaders fell out publicly over his retweeting of anti-Muslim videos posted online by the deputy leader of the far-right Britain First group, Jayda Fransen.
This week President Trump said he was cancelling a proposed visit to open the new US embassy in London, saying the new embassy was a “bad deal”.
However, reports have suggested he called off his trip because he felt he had “not been shown enough love” by the UK Government.
“He’s going to come at some point, I suppose,” said Mr Corbyn. “He is the president of the United States, he will come at some point and no doubt there will be robust discussions with him.”
READ MORE: President has been a headline maker in dealings with Scotland
Ms Thornberry, meanwhile, told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC1 that Mrs May had humiliated the Queen with the controversy over inviting Mr Trump to the UK.
“It was wrong for Theresa May to so prematurely give him a state visit,” she said.
“It is very difficult once an invitation for a state visit has been made to withdraw it. Only the Queen can withdraw it and I don’t want to put her in that embarrassing position.”
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