Calls for England & Scotland to boycott the WC over Trump's Greenland obsession

MPs have called for the home nations to boycott the men's football World Cup this summer in response to US President Donald Trump's plans to annex Greenland.

Conservative former minister Simon Hoare and Liberal Democrat MP Luke Taylor intimated that both England and Scotland, along with any other home nations who qualify through the playoffs, should pull out of the tournament in protest.

Mr Hoare said the Government needed to 'fight fire with fire' and embarrass Mr Trump, adding that King Charles III could cancel his planned state visit to America.

It comes after Mr Trump said he was 100 per cent committed to hitting the UK and European allies with tariffs in protest at opposition to his proposals for Greenland.

Last month the President was presented with the inaugural 'FIFA Peace Prize' ahead of the first 48-team World Cup being held in the US, Canada and Mexico from June.

Mr Trump has also admitted his plan to seize control of Greenland is motivated by his Nobel Peace Prize snub last year, which he has now blamed on Norway.

North Dorset MP Mr Hoare told the House of Commons yesterday: 'The Foreign Secretary, the Prime Minister, Nato, the Danes and others have been commended for responding to this through the usual channels and through the usual means.

'Now, that would be fine if we had an occupant of the White House who understood all of that and who respected all of that, but he laughs now, not just behind his hand, but blatantly in our faces as a result of that.

'So, whilst all of that continues, we need to try and work out what makes this man tick. He is thin-skinned, he has an ego and he doesn't like to be embarrassed.

'Should the state visit go ahead this year? Should football teams play in American stadia for the World Cup? These are things which would embarrass the president at home. We now need to fight fire with fire.'

The World Cup will start on June 11. Scotland will play their first World Cup game in nearly 30 years three days later.

Meanwhile Thomas Tuchel's England will kick off against Croatia on June 17.

Scotland will play their games in Massachusetts and Florida, while England's group stage fixtures will take place in Texas, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.

Wales will host Bosnia-Herzegovina while Northern Ireland travel to Italy in the World Cup play-off semi-finals on March 26.

The winners will meet in the finals on March 31 for a place at the tournament.

Mr Taylor said: 'Diplomacy relies on rational actors, yet even in the last fortnight we have seen Donald Trump declare that he is not bound by international law, only his own morality.

'He has deployed paramilitary forces against his own people, and he speaks of cancelling elections. How apt. We also have seen the unilateral kidnapping of the president of an independent country. We are not dealing with a rational man.

'He responds only to shiny baubles, as we've seen with the incredible saga of the Nobel Peace Prize.

'So I want to agree with (Mr Hoare) and ask the Government if they will consider removing the King's visit to the United States, and also a boycott of the World Cup to show Donald Trump that the only thing he responds to is his own pride.'

Responding to Mr Hoare, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: 'The approach that our Prime Minister has taken, the approach that this Government has taken, has already led to very big changes in the United States' initial proposals on tariffs that were, as a result, substantially reduced and changed as a result of that engagement.

'We've also seen, as a result of the engagement, big changes in the US approach to Ukraine, where considerable work has been done now to secure agreements around security guarantees that have been immensely important, and that is as a result of continued engagement, not just by the Prime Minister, but others more widely.'

She told Mr Taylor that engagement by Sir Keir with Mr Trump had led to billions of pounds of tech investment.

Labour MP Kate Osborne, who is chair of the Women's Football All Party Parliamentary Group, also said she 'supports those calling for a boycott.'

The Jarrow and Gateshead East representative told Metro: 'Last year there was huge public support for the successful campaign to refuse to legitimise Trump by allowing him the honour of addressing Parliament.

'We need to see the same now in relation to the World Cup. The USA should not be able to participate in the World Cup, let alone be part of hosting it, so yes I support those calling for a boycott.'

It comes after a member of the crowd at an NBA game in London on Sunday shouted 'Leave Greenland alone' as the US national anthem was sung.

Actress Vanessa Williams was performing the Star-Spangled Banner before the Memphis Grizzlies played the Orlando Magic at the O2 Arena when the heckler yelled, which drew applause and cheers from some parts of the crowd.

Last Friday, German politician Jurgen Hardt told Bild that a World Cup boycott could be a 'last resort' to 'to get Trump to see sense on the Greenland issue'.

Today, Mr Trump maintained pressure on European allies over his demand to seize control of Greenland as markets fell in response to his tariff threats.

The President launched an attack on the UK decision to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, revealed messages from European leaders and posted images showing Greenland as US territory.

Mr Trump has threatened to hit the UK and other European allies with 10 per cent tariffs from February 1 unless they agree to his purchase of Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory and he has refused to rule out using military force to seize the island.

In London, the FTSE 100 Index dropped more than 120 points soon after opening on Tuesday, down 1.3 per cent at 10068.4, following a 0.4 per cent fall on Monday.

European indices also remained heavily in the red, with the Dax in Germany down 1 per cent and France's Cac 40 off 0.9 per cent in early trading, following sharp declines overnight in Asia.

Next month, the US are set to face Denmark in ice hockey at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy on February 14 in a potential flashpoint.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has already criticised 'completely unacceptable pressure' from the US, adding: 'Borders cannot be changed by force, and small countries should not fear large countries.'

The Daily Mail has contacted the England and Scottish Football Associations for comment today.