Boris Johnson says NO dual nationality Brits will be hit by ‘Muslim ban’ unless they travel directly to US from one of the seven barred countries
BORIS Johnson has successfully secured an exemption from Donald Trump’s so-called Muslim travel ban for Brits with dual citizenship.
The Foreign Secretary has been speaking to the president's senior adviser Jared Kushner and chief strategist Stephen Bannon to find a way to stop UK passport-holders being denied entry to America in the deepening transatlantic row.
The Foreign Office has confirmed that Brits who have dual citizenship with one of the seven Muslim-majority countries are not affected by the ban.
The only dual nationals who might have to undergo extra checks are those travelling back from the countries themselves - Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Johnson and the Home Secretary Amber Rudd were ordered by the PM to wade into the furore over the controversial new policy to secure an exemption like the one the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had for his citizens.
A Downing Street spokesman said Mrs May held a conference call with pair this morning, instructing them to raise concerns with Mr Trump's senior aides about the block on refugees and many Muslims, particularly the impact it would have on British nationals.
No10 sources said the move showed how seriously Mrs May was taking the issue and she was "absolutely determined" to respond to the fears of Britons about the ban.
How the Presidential executive order on inbound migration to the US affects British and dual nationals
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has held conversations with the US Government and has been able to confirm the following.
- The Presidential executive order only applies to individuals travelling from one of the seven named countries.
- If you are travelling to the US from anywhere other than one of those countries (for instance, the UK) the executive order does not apply to you and you will experience no extra checks regardless of your nationality or your place of birth.
- If you are a UK national who happens to be travelling from one of those countries to the US, then the order does not apply to you – even if you were born in one of those countries.
- If you are a dual citizen of one of those countries travelling to the US from OUTSIDE those countries then the order does not apply to you.
The dual nationals who might have extra checks are those coming from one of the seven countries themselves - Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen
It comes after both the Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi and the Olympic hero Sir Mo Farah hit out at Mr Trump’s ban, after they were advised it could stop them travelling to America.
Mr Johnson earlier branded the policy as "divisive and wrong", and criticised the decision to "stigmatise" people based on their nationality.
Citizens from seven mainly Muslim countries - Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen - have been barred temporarily - along with all refugees.
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The Foreign Secretary said: "We will protect the rights and freedoms of UK nationals home and abroad. Divisive and wrong to stigmatise because of nationality."Mrs May faced a backlash after repeatedly refusing to criticise President Trump over the ban when questioned about the policy during a press conference on a visit to Turkey.
But No10 then released a statement this morning saying the PM did "not agree" with the policy and would act to help UK citizens.
The Government has been toughening up its stance all day amid growing calls for Mr Trump’s upcoming state visit to the UK to be postponed, with a petition hitting more than 700,000 signatures already.
Somali-born quadruple gold-medallist Sir Mo, who lives in America, told how he faced having to tell his children he could be stopped from returning home, and that while the UK had made a knight, Mr Trump had made him “an alien”.
He said: "I am a British citizen who has lived in America for the past six years - working hard, contributing to society, paying my taxes and bringing up our four children in the place they now call home.
"Now, me and many others like me are being told that we may not be welcome.”
Stratford MP Mr Zahawi, who was born in Baghdad, said he felt demeaned and sad after being told he would be hit by the ban.
"For the first time in my life last night I felt discriminated against," he told BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show.
But he stopped short of criticising Mrs May for her failure to initially come down harder against the travel ban.
However he warned that "anyone who turns the other way" was an appeaser.
"I don't think we should look away when President Trump makes a mistake," he added.
But Nigel Farage has defended the US President’s controversial policy, and says Britain should take America’s lead and bring in “extreme vetting” at our borders.
He said Mr Trump is entitled to introduce the measures in a bid to crack down on any would-be jihadis entering the country.
And he instead blamed the ban on German leader Angela Merkel for her open-door policy towards those fleeing conflict in the Middle East.
Q&A
Which countries does the ban apply to and for how long? Citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen are blocked from entering the US for 90 days. All refugees are banned for 120 days and Syrian refugees are banned indefinitely. Why has President Trump brought in the ban? He wants to step up “extreme vetting” in a bid to stop terrorists entering the US. His executive order was titled: “Protecting the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States.” What if you are British and have dual nationality with one of the seven banned nations? If you are travelling from Britain as a UK dual national, there is no restriction on you entering the US. If you are travelling from one of the countries affected, you may experience extra checks if a dual national, but you are not banned. What if I was born in one of the banned countries, or travelling to the US from there? If you are a UK national, the order still does not apply to you. Haven’t US judges stopped the ban? Judges imposed a temporary stay on those detained at US airports — allowing them to enter the country. But the rulings only affected people who had already arrived in the US or were in flight when the executive order was signed. What power does an executive order have? An order made by the US President at the stroke of a pen, without having to seek the approval of Congress, has the force of law. Who drew up the banning order? Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was asked by President Trump to draft up the order as a way of “legally” imposing a "Muslim ban". President Trump had promised a temporary ban on all Muslims while running for the White House. Will it become law? It remains to be seen what legal restrictions will be imposed after the 90-day and 120-day bans expire. What is Britain’s position? PM Theresa May has ordered Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Amber Rudd to raise concerns about the ban, leading to a clarification. Boris Johnson tweeted it was “divisive and wrong”.
Is Trump's 'Muslim ban' fair?
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