British Parliament Debates Petition To Ban Donald Trump

But a debate among lawmakers on calls to ban Trump from the country revealed little appetite to close Britain’s doors to the provocative Republican U.S. presidential contender.

More than a half-million people in Britain signed an online petition demanding that Trump be banned due to his alleged “hate speech” against immigrants and Muslims. Any petition that attracts more than 100,000 signatories is considered by MPs to decide whether it is worthy of debate.

Alex Chalk, a Conservative MP, said: “This is about bufoonery”.

Members of the Scottish National party (SNP) are pushing for the exclusion of Trump, who has large business interests in Scotland, while the Conservative and Labour leaderships oppose the idea. Across the Atlantic, in the Grand Committee Room of Westminster Hall, Tulip Siddiq, a Muslim and an MP, was at that moment speaking about the “need to stop a poisonous, corrosive man from entering our country”.

“Hate crime is being inflamed and stoked by the words that Donald Trump is using”, she said.

But while all but one used the forum to criticize Trump – especially his comments on Muslims – most felt a ban was unwise, and only risked making a martyr of the politician, and boosting his electoral prospects.

“We give him the role of martyrdom, which can seem to be an advantage among those that support him”, the lawmaker warned. Cameron described Trump’s comments about Muslims as “divisive, stupid and wrong”, but said he wouldn’t support any ban, while Corbyn suggested it would be better to engage with the man.

In the British Parliament today, a debate over American politics.

“ISIS needs Donald Trump and Donald Trump needs ISIS”, Labour MP Jack Dromey said.

Adam Holloway said the debate on whether to ban the Republican presidential candidate from British shores “makes Britain look totalitarian”. She argued that if Britain were to ban Trump, it “would send a very clear message to the people of the United States about what we feel about those who demonize an entire people for no reason other than their religion”.

Mr. Trump appears to have taken the threat seriously enough that his company, the Trump Organization, said in a statement that it would pull back from plans to invest more than billion in Scotland should he be barred.

Sarah Malones of Trump International Golf Links said in a formal statement: “It is absurd that valuable parliamentary time is being wasted debating a matter raised as part of the petition”.

Later speaking to the Independent the MP said: “I’d have a proper laugh with him”.

“He wants to ban all Muslims from the United States”. Susan Kelly said: “I never in my wildest dreams imagined it would get so many signatures in under 24 hours”.

“We shouldn’t build him up with our attacks”. If you do visit this country, take time to visit the mosques.