London’s mayor reignites feud with Donald Trump ahead of UK visit

Sadiq Khan compared the US President to fascists of the 20th century

FILE - In this Thursday, April 28, 2016 file photo, Sadiq Khan speaks during an assembly at the London Mayor election event of London Citizens in London. U.S President Donald Trump has been outspoken in his criticism of London’s first Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan, for what Trump called a failure to tackle crime and terrorism. Khan did not reply but Labour Party lawmaker David Lammy tweeted that Trump was a “racist” who hates the fact that Londoners elected a Muslim mayor. Trump will begin his state visit to Britain on June 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, file)
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London’s mayor Sadiq Khan has reignited his feud with Donald Trump ahead of the US president’s state visit to Britain.

In an article published by the Observer on Sunday, Mr Khan compared Mr Trump's language to that of the "fascists of the 20th century" and hit out at the president being given the red-carpet treatment during his three-day trip.

“President Donald Trump is just one of the most egregious examples of a growing global threat. The far right is on the rise around the world, threatening our hard-won rights and freedoms and the values that have defined our liberal, democratic societies for more than 70 years,” Mr Khan wrote.

Mr Trump will be a guest of Queen Elizabeth II and will be treated to a lavish banquet at Buckingham Palace during the official visit, which begins on Monday.

Mr Khan criticised the US president for sharing his opinion on the Conservative Party leadership race after Mr Trump said former foreign secretary Boris Johnson would make an "excellent" prime minister.

The two politicians have clashed publicly since 2016, when Mr Khan, a Muslim, called Mr Trump a “buffoon” for calling for a “shutdown” on Muslims entering the US.

The feud intensified in the aftermath of the London Bridge terror attacks in 2017 when Mr Trump berated the mayor for his response to the tragedy.

There are expected to be bigger protests in London than the last time Mr Trump came to the UK -- a working visit in July last year, when he avoided the British capital.

Earlier this month, Mr Khan said Mr Trump should not have been invited for a state visit because he was not in the same “class” as his predecessors Barack Obama and George W Bush.