Senior Labour female MPs will boycott if Donald Trump addresses Houses of Parliament

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A group of Labour’s most senior female MPs have vowed to boycott Donald Trump’s speech if he is invited to address both Houses of Parliament during his state visit to the UK.

Harriet Harman, the former deputy leader of the party, has led calls for female MPs to “empty chair” the President.

She described his views on a range of issues as “appalling” and said the thought of sitting there “smiling and clapping” was “out of the question”.

“I could not be there clapping a man who is a self-confessed groper. His views on many issues are unacceptable,” Ms Harman told the Observer.

“And on foreign policy he seems to think he can just bully other countries and get his way. That we should sit there smiling and clapping is... well, for me it is out of the question.”

Yvette Cooper, another former cabinet minister said it was a “joke” to think they would sit and listen to “a man who is turning the clock back on democracy, pushing misogyny and hatred of Muslims.”

“We’ve fought for equality for decades and we certainly shouldn’t be honouring someone at the heart of British democracy who wants to rip those democratic values up,” Ms Cooper said.

“Parliament has to show a bit of muscle on this and not just roll over because Theresa May sent out an embarrassing invitation to Trump in a desperate rush.”

MPs are due to debate cancelling the new President’s official visit to the UK later this year following outrage over his ban on all citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries coming to the US after a petition was signed by nearly two million people.

A potential compromise has emerged where Mr Trump may not be allowed to deliver a speech in the mediaeval hall, the most prestigious part of the Palace of Westminster. He may instead be invited to speak at the Royal Gallery in the House of Lords.

The move would be significant as the hall is traditionally reserved for the most respected world leaders, including Mr Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama, who spoke there in 2011.

The solution was reportedly proposed by Speaker John Bercow who is said to be “not happy” about the level of MPs concerns about the idea, The Sunday Telegraph reported.

So far a total of 150 MPs have signed a statement calling for Mr Trump to be denied a parliamentary address.