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The paper, citing
an unidentified adviser at May's Downing Street office who was
in the room at the time, reported Trump had told May by
telephone in recent weeks that he did not want to come if there
were likely to be large-scale protests.
"We aren’t going to comment on speculation about the contents of
private phone conversations," a spokeswoman for May's office
said. "The queen extended an invitation to President Trump to
visit the UK and there is no change to those plans."
The White House also denied the Guardian report, with an
administration official telling Reuters, "The subject never came
up on the call."
No date has been set for the visit, which was agreed during
May's visit to Washington in January, but British media had
reported it was planned for October.
May's hold on power has been significantly weakened since the
results of a snap election last week cost her Conservative Party
a parliamentary majority. In a bid to save her position, May has
been trying to form a government with Northern Ireland's
Democratic Unionist Party, a small faction of social
conservatives.
British politics is going through an upheaval just a week before
talks begin on Britain's exit from the European Union, set for
2019.
Trump's public criticism this month of London Mayor Sadiq Khan's
response to an attack by Islamist militants in London was
condemned in Britain. May found herself forced to defend Khan,
who is from the opposition Labour party.
At that time, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said there was no
reason to cancel the visit, while White House spokesman Sean
Spicer said that Trump intended to go and that "he appreciates
Her Majesty's gracious invitation".
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan and Estelle Shirbon in London,
Doina Chiacu in Washington, and James Oliphant in Branchburg,
N.J.; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Grant McCool)
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