Donald Trump is set to make a state visit to Britain this year - possibly as early as September - as Sir Keir Starmer lays out the red carpet for the US president.
But No10 has been forced to deny claims that it over-ruled the wishes of the King after Trump vowed to make Canada the US's '51st state'.
The Manu Regia, the hand-signed formal invitation from the monarch to Trump for a second state visit, was hand-delivered last week by British representatives from the Washington embassy to the White House.
Sir Keir invited Trump to Britain when he went to the Oval Office earlier this year, when the plan was for an initial private visit to the King in Scotland over the summer first.
But the Times claimed today that Starmer had agreed to a Trump demand to go straight to the state event, full of pomp and ceremony.
