UK politicians should thank me: Donald Trump

A Scottish university has revoked an honorary degree that it bestowed on American presidential candidate Donald Trump after the businessman called for Muslims to be barred from entering the US.

The Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Aberdeen also stripped the billionaire developer of his honorary degree for statements it said were “wholly incompatible” with the values of the university.

In a statement on Wednesday, the university announced that it has made a decision to revoke the degree.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has joined calls for officials to consider banning Donald Trump from the United Kingdom following his comments about Muslims. Trump had been a GlobalScot ambassador for 11 years.

He also attacked Nicola Sturgeon and other United Kingdom politicians for “pandering to political correctness” after Scotland’s First Minister removed his membership of the GlobalScot business network.

Many American and foreign authorities have denounced Trump’s comments, with the White House even saying the Islamophobic stance “disqualifies” him from running for the 2016 presidential election in the US.

Mr Trump, whose mother was from Lewis, owns two golf courses in Scotland – Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire and Trump Turnberry in South Ayrshire.

The GlobalScot network was set up by the Scottish Development International, the investment and trade promotion agency of the Scottish Government, to promote Scottish businesses around the world.

Scotland’s then first minister Jack McConnell, who invited Trump to become one of the network’s ambassadors, said at the time: “Donald has shown me a real passion for Scotland”.

Trump was bestowed with an honorary doctorate of business for his “unwavering and public commitment to our nation’s founding principles of limited government, individual liberty, and the free enterprise system, and in further recognition of his iconic status as one of America’s most successful visionaries and entrepreneurs”.

And London Mayor Boris Johnson said the remarks made Mr Trump unfit for office.

He added: “I have respect for the Moslem people and have great friendships with many Moslems, some of whom I do business with, but they themselves admit there is a major problem with radicalisation”.

In a statement released on Thursday, the property developer accused politicians of pandering to political correctness.