Donald Trump’s widely opposed state visit to the UK could be move from London to Birmingham to allow the US president to address a rally and raise money for the retired British soldiers.
Ministers also said that the trip could be delayed from June to July to coincide with President Trump’s visit to the G20 Summit of developed nations in Hamburg, Germany.
The US president’s advisers and senior Foreign Office officials have discussed how to save the state visit which has been widely opposed by large sections of the British public.
One of the ideas that have been suggested to the White House is for President Trump to address a rally in Birmingham where the audience would pay an entrance fee, which will be donated to the Royal British Legion.
Venues such as the National Exhibition Centre are being reviewed with the hope that people outside of London may be more receptive to the President Trump and the event would be easier to police.
It is believed that an event in the Brexit heartland might attract a more supportive audience for President Trump as a supporter of the UK leaving the European Union.
A source close to the Trump administration told The Telegraph: “It would be his biggest rally with 85,000 people coming together to celebrate the US-UK special relationship.
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If he is not speaking to the Houses of Parliament, let’s go to the people. The only person who gets screwed is the Speaker of the House of Commons.”
Last week, the chief of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, said he had concerns about the state visit given the level of opposition from the public.
