Update: During a joint press conference with Irish leader Kenny, UK PM Theresa May confirms Trump's invite still stands...
- *MAY: STATE VISIT INVITATION TO TRUMP STANDS
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A petition to ban President Donald Trump from visiting The UK has now received over one million signatures and the UK parliament has just agreed to immediately hold a three-hour debate on the decision.
Since we posted yesterday the signature count has risen from 400,000 to 1.4 million...
The petition's signatories are dominated by London counties...
As AP reports, MPs have been granted an emergency debate in the Commons to discuss Donald Trump's controversial travel ban.
The application from Labour's Ed Miliband was backed by Commons Speaker John Bercow after Tory MPs such as Nadhim Zahawi and Sarah Wollaston joined opposition MPs in supporting the move.
It follows Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's statement to the House after the new US president put in place a travel ban on refugees and citizens from several mainly-Muslim countries.
The debate will last for three hours and is expected to finish at around 9pm.
UK politicians are jumping on the bandwagon...
Watch this: @EmilyThornberry challenges Boris Johnson and Theresa May on their response to Trump’s #MuslimBan. RT if you're with us ? pic.twitter.com/beOCRDCzwB
— The Labour Party (@UKLabour) January 30, 2017
Jeremy Corbyn called for the visit to be postponed while Trump’s immigration ban was in place. He also questioned why May was so quick to invite the president given his controversial policies.
“Donald Trump should not be welcomed to Britain while he abuses our shared values with his shameful Muslim ban and attacks on refugees’ and women’s rights,” the Labour leader said.
“Theresa May would be failing the British people if she does not postpone the state visit and condemn Trump’s actions in the clearest terms. That’s what Britain expects and deserves.”
Theresa May was booed as she left for parliament...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuj44m1Kq0Y
For now, a spokesperson for Number 10 said on Sunday that Trump would still be invited to visit the UK later this year as planned.
London rallying against Trump's actions and Theresa May's inaction pic.twitter.com/s3um9R8Tmv
— J.D. Capelouto (@jdcapelouto) January 30, 2017