Donald Trump has claimed Jeremy Corbyn asked to meet him but he turned down the request.
Speaking during a press conference alongside Theresa May at the Foreign Office in Westminster on Tuesday afternoon, Trump said: “He wanted to meet with me and I told him no.
“I don’t know Jeremy Corbyn. Never met him. Never spoke to him. He wanted to meet today or tomorrow and I decided I would not do that,” he said.
Trump said the Labour leader was “something of a negative force”.
“I think the people should look to do things correctly as opposed to criticise – I really don’t like critics as much as I like and respect people who get things done – so I decided not to meet,” he added.
Labour confirmed Corbyn had proposed a meeting with Trump during his visit to the UK.
“Jeremy is ready to engage with the president on a range of issues, including the climate emergency, threats to peace and the refugee crisis,” a party spokesperson said.
The president has offered to meet with Tory leadership candidate Michael Gove.
Boris Johnson, the frontrunner in the race to succeed May, spoke to Trump on the phone but turned down a face-to-face meeting as it clashed with a leadership hustings this evening.
Corbyn boycotted yesterday’s state banquet with the Queen and the US President at Buckingham Palace.
Instead addressed an anti-Trump protest in central-London today. Speaking to the demonstration the Labour leader attacked “divisive” politics.
“Racism divides, exploitation of minorities divides, brings about hatred, dislike, disdain and a horrible place for individuals to live in,” he said.
Corbyn said he was “absolutely not, refusing to meet” Trump and wanted to have “dialogue to bring about the better and more peaceful world that we all want to live in”.
During the press conference May said she had always spoken “openly” with Trump on issues over which they disagree.
“I’ve always believed that cooperation and compromise are the basis of strong alliances and nowhere is this more true than in the special relationship.”
She said the pair had discussed issues including Iran, tackling climate change and China.