Trump's UK state visit to take place next year

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Europe

A state visit to Britain by US President Donald Trump will happen next year, Sky News reported quoting senior government sources on Tuesday.

Trump's visit had been expected this year after British Prime Minister Theresa May invited the US leader to Britain during their first meeting in January in Washington. But government officials had frequently said no date had been set.

The government had initially said the visit would take place later this year, but media has reported the trip could be postponed for various reasons.

Senior Downing Street sources reportedly admitted that the original plan for a visit this summer has been abandoned.

Trump has come under fire in Britain for his public criticism of London Mayor Sadiq Khan's response to an attack by Islamist militants in London, in which eight people were killed.

Last month, the Guardian newspaper reported that Trump had told May by telephone that he did not want to come if there were likely to be large-scale protests.

However, Trump said that he will go to London when asked if the planned state visit would go ahead, during talks with May on the sidelines of the G20 Summit last Saturday in Hamburg. He also hinted at a quick trade deal between the US and the UK.

(With input from Reuters)