Laurence Dollimore
THERESA May will miss Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons tomorrow to welcome the King and Queen of Spain to London, Downing Street has announced.
King Felipe VI and his wife Queen Letizia are making the first state visit by a Spanish monarch to the UK since 1986, from July 12-14.
May will join the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh at an official ceremony to greet them at Horse Guard’s Parade.
First Secretary of State Damian Green will take May’s place at the Despatch Box in the Commons to answer questions from MPs for half an hour, a duty that is performed every week.
Gordon Brown was the last PM to miss PMQs because of a state visit, sending Harriet Harman in his place while he greeted South African President Jacob Zuma in 2010.
The Spanish state visit was initially scheduled for June, but was put back a month to avoid clashing with the General Election.
Spain is a hugely important negotiating partner in the ongoing Brexit negotiations.
Did she greet them with beeds and mirrors? Or just the old boring teapot?