Boris Johnson says ALL British passport holders can travel to the US – regardless of Donald Trump’s ban
BORIS Johnson has said that "all British passport holders remain welcome to travel to the US" despite Donald Trump's controversial ban.
Previous advice from the US embassy had urged Brits not to schedule visa appointments or pay fees - but this has now been deleted from the website.
The Foreign Secretary said today that he had received reassurances from his counterparts in America that the policy did not affect dual citizens who held a passport from one of the seven banned countries.
An urgent notice issued by the US Embassy in London this morning said visa issuance "has been suspended effective immediately until further notification” - the statement has since been deleted from its website.
Mr Johnson told MPs: "We have received assurances from the US embassy that this executive order will make no difference to any British passport holder, irrespective of their country of birth or if they hold another passport."
He took to the Commons this afternoon to distance the UK from President Trump's "divisive" policy, but said that his "bark is considerably worse than his bite".
The Foreign Secretary said the ban was a "highly controversial policy" that had caused unease and anxiety.
Mr Johnson repeatedly said it was something that the UK Government would not support, and would not be considering.
However, he went on to say insist that ministers would not shy away from telling Mr Trump what they thought of his actions.
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Mr Johnson spent yesterday speaking to the president's senior adviser Jared Kushner and chief strategist Stephen Bannon about the implications of immigration curbs.
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.
Mr Johnson also said this afternoon that Britain would not withdraw an offer for a state visit to Donald Trump later this year.
This is despite the one MILLION people who have signed a petition urging it to be dropped.
Number 10 said the Prime Minister extended the invitation on behalf of the Queen and "we look forward to hosting the President later this year".
It comes after the row over the policy has escalated, with protests planned across the UK for today amid growing calls to ban Mr Trump from Britain.
In his defence of the state visit, the Foreign Secretary went as far as to say that the Queen had welcomed leaders such as the Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe to the UK in the past.
Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, the SNP's Foreign Affairs spokesperson, said today that the Government needed to show "global leadership" and Theresa May had failed to do so.
"It's racist and it's immoral," she said of President Trump's policy.
Veteran MP Dennis Skinner compared Mr Trump to Hitler, and labelled him a "fascist", while Mike Gapes called the PM "Theresa the appeaser".
Former Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told Mr Johnson: "This order was signed on Holocaust Memorial Day... for the sake of history have the guts to speak out!"
GMB Union described the Foreign Secretary's response as "inadequate and insulting".
And Tory MP Nicholas Soames, the grandson of Winston Churchill, said: "Whatever others may do... refugees arriving in this country will be dealt with patience... and respect."
Simon Burns MP quoted former President Kennedy and warned the Foreign Secretary: "Those who ride a tiger end up inside it."