Boris Johnson has dismissed critics of Donald Trump as "puffed up pompous popinjays", hours after the US president cancelled a visit to London to open the new American embassy.
The Foreign Secretary said people who welcomed news the US leader would not visit Britain were "determined to put" a "crucial relationship at risk".
The announcement by Mr Trump sparked mixed reaction.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said Mr Trump had "got the message" that people in the capital "find his policies and actions the polar opposite of our city's values".
But Mr Johnson tweeted: "The US is the biggest single investor in the UK - yet Khan & Corbyn seem determined to put this crucial relationship at risk. We will not allow US-UK relations to be endangered by some puffed up pompous popinjay in City Hall."
invite response
The Foreign Secretary said people who welcomed news the US leader would not visit Britain were "determined to put" a "crucial relationship at risk".
The announcement by Mr Trump sparked mixed reaction.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said Mr Trump had "got the message" that people in the capital "find his policies and actions the polar opposite of our city's values".
But Mr Johnson tweeted: "The US is the biggest single investor in the UK - yet Khan & Corbyn seem determined to put this crucial relationship at risk. We will not allow US-UK relations to be endangered by some puffed up pompous popinjay in City Hall."
A popinjay is a type of parrot, sometimes used as an insult to describe someone vain or who behaves extravagantly.
https://news.sky.com/story/boris-johnson-slams-pompous-popinjay-donald-trump-critics-after-uk-visit-cancelled-11204420