LONDON

THE UNITED KINGDOM has been forced to reject an invitation to join Donald Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza because the country cannot afford the $1 billion membership fee, according to European bond traders.

“We understand that an offer to pay in installments by credit card was shot down when the Americans did a full credit check on the Brits and didn’t like what they saw,” said a trader in Frankfurt.

“Hard currency to the Donald or no seat on the President’s board,” one American official insisted. “The Brits defaulted on our WW1 loan in the 1930s, you know, not paying it off till 2015; that’s not going to happen again. They could sell the crown jewels, or maybe Manchester United, I guess.”