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UK MPs have debated on the banning of Donald Trump from entering the country

Updated 20.50: MPs have debated banning Donald Trump from the UK after 570,000 people signed an o...
Newstalk
Newstalk

15.58 18 Jan 2016


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UK MPs have debated on the ban...

UK MPs have debated on the banning of Donald Trump from entering the country

Newstalk
Newstalk

15.58 18 Jan 2016


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Updated 20.50:

MPs have debated banning Donald Trump from the UK after 570,000 people signed an online petition calling for him to be refused entry.

The outspoken billionaire sparked controversy after he demanded a "total and complete shutdown" of Muslims entering the US.

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On Sunday, Jeremy Corbyn said he would like to take Mr Trump on a visit to a North London mosque.

The Labour leader said: "I decided to invite Donald Trump on his visit to Britain to come with me to my constituency because he has problems with Mexicans and he has problems with Muslims. [...] My wife is Mexican and my constituency is very multicultural. What I was going to do was go down to the mosque with him and let him talk to people there."

Mr Corbyn added that he didn’t think the US Presidential hopeful should be banned from the UK, despite his "weird and off-the-wall views".

In contrast, former SNP leader Alex Salmond said: "My view is that, yes, I would probably ban 'The Donald' because it would do him some good. [...] He wants to ban all Muslims from the United States, I want to ban all Donald Trumps from Scotland."

Campaigners staged protests at two golf resorts owned by Mr Trump in Scotland on Sunday ahead of the Commons debate.

Today, MPs spent three hours in Westminster Hall debating whether Donald Trump should be allowed to enter the UK in the wake of controversial remarks about Muslims, Mexicans, women and gay people. The Republican candidate also claimed there are parts of London that are "so radicalised" that police officers are "afraid for their own lives".

During the discussion, MPs labelled the billionaire a 'ridiculous xenophobe', 'crazy' and a 'dangerous fool'.

The MPs have no power to impose a ban, but there were still passionate speeches on either side:

The debate was selected by the Petitions Committee, a group of eleven backbench MPs who decide whether e-petitions that reach over 100,000 signatures should be put forward for discussion.

A rival petition saying it would be illogical to ban Mr Trump from the UK has reached over 40,000 signatures. Mr Trump is still leading several opinion polls in the race to be the Republican candidate for November's US presidential election.


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