London Mayor Sadiq Khan has clashed in a verbal showdown with Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan, trying to uphold his decision to give the green light to a 20-foot (6-meter) "baby Trump" blimp which is due to fly over London during the US President's upcoming visit to the British capital, according to the Daily Mail.
In particular, Khan rejected Morgan's allegations that he okayed the launch of the blimp due to his personal negative attitude towards Trump.
READ MORE: Donald Trump May Confront Protesters During UK Visit — Blair's Ex-Aide
"My views are irrelevant. The issue is 'Do they have the freedom to protest, the freedom to assemble and should they be allowed to do so?' If it's peaceful and it's safe they should," Khan underscored.
The mayor of London just approved a request by protesters to allow them to fly a giant “Trump Baby” blimp to fly over parliament during Donald Trump’s visit. pic.twitter.com/0yaWzBgJEd
— Simar (@sahluwal) 5 июля 2018 г.
When asked whether he could endorse a flying black baby of former US President Obama in a nappy, Khan said that he could not be the censor in terms of approving the action and that it's not for him "to decide what's in good taste or bad taste."
I can’t stand Trump but the whole blimp idea makes me embarrassed to be British. It’s childish and immature and the London Mayor should have no hand in it and be more professional 😡 @piersmorgan #gmb
— xxBxx (@MrsBSymons) 10 июля 2018 г.
Earlier, Khan's move to let protesters fly the "Trump blimp" faced a backlash from Trump supporters, including former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and Nigel Farage, the former leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP).
READ MORE: 'Do Your Job, Khan!' Ex-NYC Mayor Slams 'Trump Blimp' as It Goes on World Tour
Giuliani, for his part, said that "Khan should be ashamed of himself" because "he's so busy attacking President Trump's visit and, in the meantime, crime is spiraling in London."
"Maybe he should just do his job instead of attacking a world leader," Giuliani noted.
About 10,000 police officers are expected to be on standby in London during Trump's visit which may also see more that 50,000 people take to the streets in the UK capital in a show of protest.
