Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said he will boycott the state banquet for Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to Britain, declaring that he wants to “send a message” to the U.S. president about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Trump and his wife, Melania, will be received by King Charles III and Queen Camilla from September 17 to 19 in the president’s second state visit to the United Kingdom. A centerpiece of the three-day visit is a lavish banquet at Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Hall, attended by around 150 guests, including senior politicians, diplomats, faith leaders, and cultural figures.
Davey acknowledged that turning down the invitation from the King was difficult, calling it “an honor like no other.” But he said Trump holds unique leverage over Israel and its allies, which he believes could help halt what international agencies have described as famine in Gaza.
“My wife Emily and I have prayed about this all summer,” Davey said. “If Donald Trump tells [Israeli Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu to stop this, it ends tomorrow. If he uses his influence over Qatar and other Gulf states, all the hostages could come home tomorrow.”
Davey framed his boycott as a moral stand rather than a snub to the monarch, stressing that he had written privately to the King to explain his decision.
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But Conservatives swiftly condemned the move. Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, said it was an “act of deep disrespect to His Majesty the King” and proof that Davey was “more interested in gesture politics than serious leadership.”
Trump, who has consistently defended Netanyahu, acknowledged last month that “real starvation” exists in Gaza, though Israel disputes that claim. The United Nations says Israel’s restrictions on aid have created a “man-made famine.” Gaza health officials estimate that more than 62,800 people have been killed since Israel launched its campaign in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, which left about 1,200 Israelis dead and more than 250 taken hostage.
For Davey, the banquet boycott is a way of pressing Trump—and Britain’s political class—not to look away.
