Sadiq Khan says he is willing to meet Donald Trump when the US president visits the UK, despite the rocky relationship the pair have so far fostered on social media.
The London mayor added he would be happy to show Trump parts of the capital where people of different faiths and none “respect, celebrate and embrace” each other.
He also described himself as a “reluctant participant” in Twitter “fisticuffs” with Trump, which included the pair clashing over the response to the London Bridge terror attack, reports the Press Association.
Khan told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One: “We must have really good relations with our closest ally, we have a special relationship with them.
“It’s good that Theresa May and Donald Trump have a good working relationship.
“What I’m not in favour of is a state visit with all that it entails – with the red carpet being rolled out and all that’s involved.”
Trump has consistently weighed in on terrorist attacks in London, usually before motives and perpetrators have been identified and usually in an attempt to push for his Muslim travel ban.
Khan has always kept a stoic distance from the accusations.