Trump condemned for ‘unacceptable interference’ after praising Boris Johnson’s bid to be PM

Senior politicians from all of the main parties have warned Donald Trump against “distasteful interference” in British politics during an already controversial state visit this week, with the Tory leadership race and future Brexit policy hanging in the balance.

Mr Trump was accused by party leaders and MPs past and present of breaking a longstanding convention by praising Boris Johnson, claiming he would make an “excellent” prime minister, ahead of a three-day trip to the UK which begins on Monday.

Speaking to The Independent, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, a Tory former foreign secretary, said the comments by the “narcissistic and egocentric” Mr Trump were “unprecedented for a president of the United States”.

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Jeremy Corbyn and Sir Vince Cable also condemned the remarks, and one MP suggested the Queen should rescind Mr Trump’s invitation to a state banquet on Tuesday night.

It is highly unusual for a sitting US president to comment on a UK political election, although Mr Trump has previously drawn fire over his vocal support for Brexit and his criticism of Theresa May.

Shape Created with Sketch. Who is standing to be the next Prime Minister? Show all 12 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Who is standing to be the next Prime Minister? 1/12 Boris Johnson As the overwhelming favourite among the party membership, Boris Johnson is relying on his charisma to walk his way to the highest position in government. While there is a growing Stop Boris collective of Tory MPs, many in the party believe that he is the only candidate who could win a general election. He insists that Britain must leave the EU on October 31 with or without a deal. PA 2/12 Dominic Raab Dominic Raab, the former Brexit secretary, is the most direct opposition to frontrunner Boris Johnson; similarly inclined to a hard Brexit but not as controversial among Tory MPs. He would seek a new, "fairer" deal, though he insists that Britain must leave the EU by October 31. Raab announced his bid on Sunday 26 May, 2 days after the Prime Minister announced her departure date. Getty 3/12 Michael Gove Michael Gove, the environment secretary, is leaning on his extensive government experience, having served in 3 cabinet roles since 2010, to make the case that he is suited to lead. His greatest challenge may prove to be convincing MPs and members to trust him as he earned a bad reputation for standing against Boris Johnson in the 2016 leadership contest after starting the race as Johnson's campaign manager. Getty 4/12 Jeremy Hunt Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, was the first cabinet member to announce his bid just hours after the Prime Minister declared her departure date. He supported the Prime Minister's deal when she tried to get it through parliament and is pitching himself as the candidate to unite the Tory party. PA 5/12 Rory Stewart Rory Stewart, the international development secretary, is somewhat of an outsider, he only joined the cabinet for the first time at the beginning of May. He is pitching himself as the sensible candidate, drawing on his unique diplomatic experience and pledging to rule out both a second referendum and a no-deal Brexit. He has caught attention on social media for his campaigning approach PA 6/12 Esther McVey Esther Mcvey, the former work and pensions secretary, is standing on a hard Brexit promise. She suggests that the EU ought to approach Britain with a better deal and pledges to step-up preparations for a no-deal Brexit. AFP/Getty 7/12 Sajid Javid Sajid Javid, the home secretary, intends to stand for unity in "a United Kingdom". He pledges to restore trust in politics by delivering Brexit. He has served in two cabinet positions in May's government, first as housing secretary before replacing Amber Rudd as home secretary, a role in which he garnered controversy over his declaration of a "major incident" when around 40 migrants attempted to cross the channel in small boats. PA 8/12 Andrea Leadsom Andrea Leadsom, the former leader of the house of commons, is pitching herself as the party unity candidate. Speaking to Sky News as she announced her bid, Leadsom claimed to be a "decisive and compassionate leader." She will prepare to leave without a deal but claims to have "a three-point plan for Brexit" which she will set out later in the race. AFP/Getty 9/12 Matt Hancock Matt Hancock, the health secretary, aims to be a "fresh" leader for the future after delivering Brexit. He has said that he will "be the servant of parliament" in delivering Brexit. PA 10/12 Kit Malthouse Kit Malthouse, the housing minister, is pitching himself as a fresh face who is not burdened by association with the torturous Brexit process and the disputes that it has borne in the party. He does however wish to court merit for his role in orchestrating the Malthouse Compromise, an amendment which sought to unite the Tories by seeking alternative arrangements for the Northern Ireland backstop. He pledges to promote the younger generation of Tory MPs. PA 11/12 James Cleverly James Cleverly is a junior Brexit minister who previously served as deputy chairman of the party. He made his pitch in a letter to constituents, published in the Braintree and Witham Times, stating "“we cannot bring the country back together unless the party of government is united, and the party cannot unite if it is led from its fringes." PA 12/12 Mark Harper Mark Harper, the former chief whip, acknowledges that he is the underdog in this race. He claims to be a truly fresh face, compared with other candidates who have served in the cabinet. He has suggested that a further delay to Brexit may be necessary if the new prime minister is to negotiate a new deal. PA 1/12 Boris Johnson As the overwhelming favourite among the party membership, Boris Johnson is relying on his charisma to walk his way to the highest position in government. While there is a growing Stop Boris collective of Tory MPs, many in the party believe that he is the only candidate who could win a general election. He insists that Britain must leave the EU on October 31 with or without a deal. PA 2/12 Dominic Raab Dominic Raab, the former Brexit secretary, is the most direct opposition to frontrunner Boris Johnson; similarly inclined to a hard Brexit but not as controversial among Tory MPs. He would seek a new, "fairer" deal, though he insists that Britain must leave the EU by October 31. Raab announced his bid on Sunday 26 May, 2 days after the Prime Minister announced her departure date. Getty 3/12 Michael Gove Michael Gove, the environment secretary, is leaning on his extensive government experience, having served in 3 cabinet roles since 2010, to make the case that he is suited to lead. His greatest challenge may prove to be convincing MPs and members to trust him as he earned a bad reputation for standing against Boris Johnson in the 2016 leadership contest after starting the race as Johnson's campaign manager. Getty 4/12 Jeremy Hunt Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, was the first cabinet member to announce his bid just hours after the Prime Minister declared her departure date. He supported the Prime Minister's deal when she tried to get it through parliament and is pitching himself as the candidate to unite the Tory party. PA 5/12 Rory Stewart Rory Stewart, the international development secretary, is somewhat of an outsider, he only joined the cabinet for the first time at the beginning of May. He is pitching himself as the sensible candidate, drawing on his unique diplomatic experience and pledging to rule out both a second referendum and a no-deal Brexit. He has caught attention on social media for his campaigning approach PA 6/12 Esther McVey Esther Mcvey, the former work and pensions secretary, is standing on a hard Brexit promise. She suggests that the EU ought to approach Britain with a better deal and pledges to step-up preparations for a no-deal Brexit. AFP/Getty 7/12 Sajid Javid Sajid Javid, the home secretary, intends to stand for unity in "a United Kingdom". He pledges to restore trust in politics by delivering Brexit. He has served in two cabinet positions in May's government, first as housing secretary before replacing Amber Rudd as home secretary, a role in which he garnered controversy over his declaration of a "major incident" when around 40 migrants attempted to cross the channel in small boats. PA 8/12 Andrea Leadsom Andrea Leadsom, the former leader of the house of commons, is pitching herself as the party unity candidate. Speaking to Sky News as she announced her bid, Leadsom claimed to be a "decisive and compassionate leader." She will prepare to leave without a deal but claims to have "a three-point plan for Brexit" which she will set out later in the race. AFP/Getty 9/12 Matt Hancock Matt Hancock, the health secretary, aims to be a "fresh" leader for the future after delivering Brexit. He has said that he will "be the servant of parliament" in delivering Brexit. PA 10/12 Kit Malthouse Kit Malthouse, the housing minister, is pitching himself as a fresh face who is not burdened by association with the torturous Brexit process and the disputes that it has borne in the party. He does however wish to court merit for his role in orchestrating the Malthouse Compromise, an amendment which sought to unite the Tories by seeking alternative arrangements for the Northern Ireland backstop. He pledges to promote the younger generation of Tory MPs. PA 11/12 James Cleverly James Cleverly is a junior Brexit minister who previously served as deputy chairman of the party. He made his pitch in a letter to constituents, published in the Braintree and Witham Times, stating "“we cannot bring the country back together unless the party of government is united, and the party cannot unite if it is led from its fringes." PA 12/12 Mark Harper Mark Harper, the former chief whip, acknowledges that he is the underdog in this race. He claims to be a truly fresh face, compared with other candidates who have served in the cabinet. He has suggested that a further delay to Brexit may be necessary if the new prime minister is to negotiate a new deal. PA

The Independent has learnt that MPs will be among thousands of people taking part in protests against Mr Trump this week, with Labour frontbencher Clive Lewis one of those having vowed to join demonstrations in London.

Anger over the visit is likely to have deepened following the US president’s latest comments.

Criticising the intervention, Sir Malcolm said: “No other prime minister or president would dream of doing it. He knows perfectly well that that applies to American presidents as well, but the man is so narcissistic and egocentric that he likes believing that he sways the future of the world.

“There’s nothing illegal about it, there’s nothing unconstitutional about it, it’s just distasteful interference in other people’s business.”

He added: “It’s unprecedented for a president of the United States but it’s not unprecedented for Trump. Trump has been making remarks of this kind about other people’s democratic choices since day one. If he had the slightest bit of sensitivity he would not be doing so.”

“If Theresa May were to recommend the virtues of Joe Biden as a potential president of the United States, most people in America, not just Trump, would say mind your own business.

“These are sensitive issues and the only people who will decide the next prime minister of the United Kingdom or president of the United States will be the citizens of the countries concerned.

He suggested that the comments could harm Mr Johnson’s chances of becoming prime minister, ”because nobody likes other people interfering in their election campaigns”. Tory MPs worried about losing their seats to the Liberal Democrats may be concerned if the party leader was backed by Mr Trump, he added.

Joining the growing backlash, Mr Corbyn said: “President Trump’s attempt to decide who will be Britain’s next prime minister is an entirely unacceptable interference in our country’s democracy.

“The next prime minister should be chosen not by the US president, nor by 100,000 unrepresentative Conservative Party members, but by the British people in a general election.”

And Sir Vince Cable, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said Eurosceptic Tories who expressed anger at Barack Obama warning against Brexit in 2016 should also condemn Mr Trump’s comments.

He said: “Brexiteers expressed outrage at Obama telling a few truths during the referendum campaign.

“I look forward to hearing them pour the same opprobrium on bully boy Trump for intervening in the contest to become Tory leader.

“If ever a reason were needed to keep Boris Johnson out of Downing Street, it is Trump’s endorsement of him and of Brexit – both of which are bad for Britain.”

Liberal Democrat MP Sir Ed Davey, who is vying with Jo Swinson to succeed Sir Vince this summer, added: “The Queen would be perfectly entitled to cancel Trump’s dinner given he’s insulted the Duchess of Sussex and interfered in the selection of our next prime minister at a time of national crisis. We don’t need friends like that.”

Mr Trump stopped short of fully endorsing Mr Johnson, the current frontrunner in the race, but said of the former foreign secretary: “I think Boris would do a very good job ... I think he would be excellent.”

Speaking to The Sun, he added: “I like him. I have always liked him. I don’t know that he is going to be chosen, but I think he is a very good guy, a very talented person.”

He also said he was a fan of Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, but had harsher words for Michael Gove, the environment secretary, who recently criticised his stance on Iran.

The Republican claimed that other Conservative leadership candidates had asked for his support, although all of the leadership campaigns contacted by The Independent denied having asked for his backing.

The comments risk sparking a diplomatic row on the eve of the state visit, although some senior Tories questioned whether the remarks would help or hinder Mr Johnson given the US president’s reputation in the UK.

Andrew Mitchell, a former cabinet minister and Conservative chief whip, said: “It is certainly unusual but then Trump is a most unusual president. The electorate at Westminster is a sophisticated if serpentine one and so I doubt it will move many votes.

“It is certainly unprecedented and could indeed backfire.”

Bob Seely, a member of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, who is backing Michael Gove for leader, said the comments were “not appropriate” but added: “It’s Donald Trump and he’s probably always going to do it.”

During his visit, Mr Trump will hold talks with Theresa May in Downing Street on Tuesday before attending a state banquet hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

On Wednesday he will join Ms May for talks with business leaders, and on Thursday he will travel to Portsmouth to take part in events to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day.