Queen 'humiliated by Theresa May with controversy over Donald Trump invitation'

Theresa May has humiliated the Queen with the controversy over inviting US president Donald Trump to the UK, Labour has said.

The party's shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry branded Mr Trump a "danger" and a "racist", saying she did not want him in Britain.

Ms Thornberry told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show: "I don't want him to come to the country. I don't think that he should have been given an invitation in the way that he was. That it was wrong for Theresa May to so prematurely give him a state visit.

"I think that it embarrasses the Queen. I think that it is humiliation for her. I think it is wrong to have brought her into this in this way.

"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.

"I think though that the Government can give advice to Washington, and can say that we have to have security considerations. There will be major demonstrations.

"He did at one stage say he didn't want to come to Britain until the British had learned to love him and I was quite relaxed about that."

Ms Thornberry was scathing about the US president following reports he had branded Haiti and some African states "s***hole" countries.

"He is an asteroid of awfulness that has fallen on this world. I think that he is a danger and I think that he is a racist."

After Mr Trump cancelled a visit to open the new US embassy next month, Ms Thornberry said: "What kind of visit did he think he was going to get? Did he think he was going to visit in a gold coach?

"Well, you know, Londoners are not terribly impressed with him. Surprise, surprise, and neither, frankly, are the British."