Theresa May insists she was not given prior warning of Donald Trump’s ‘divisive and wrong’ block on refugees but may have been told about the seven-nation ban
The PM failed to say she pushed the President on his controversial travel restrictions
THERESA May has insisted she was not given prior warning of Donald Trump’s “divisive and wrong” block on refugees but may have been told about the seven Muslim nations ban.
Faced with a PMQs grilling on what she knew and when about America’s border clampdown, the Prime Minister failed to say she pushed the President on his controversial travel restrictions.
Pressed by Jeremy Corbyn in a testy Commons showdown, Mrs May said everyone was warned that President Trump planned travel restrictions because he had campaigned on the issue ahead of his shock win last year.
Mrs May told MPs: “If he is asking me whether I had advance notice of the ban on refugees, the answer is no.
“If he is asking me if I had advance notice that the executive order could affect British citizens, the answer is no.
And she added: “If he is asking if I had advance notice of the travel restrictions, the answer is we all did, because President Trump said he was going to do this in his election campaign.”
But she insisted that “on the policy that President Trump has introduced, this Government is clear that that policy is wrong.”
She claimed that it is not something the UK would copy, adding “in six years as home secretary I never introduced such a policy.”
“We believe it is divisive and wrong.”
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And going on the counter attack, the PM branded Mr Corbyn’s foreign policy views as an “insult” the democratically elected head of Britain’s closet ally.
The PM was dismissive of Mr Corbyn’s call for her cancel the US president’s planned state visit after an anti-Trump petition to Parliament was backed by 1.8 million people.
And her quip that Mr Corbyn “can lead a protest, I’m leading a country”, delighted Tory MPs.
Ex-Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond suggested that the Queen could host Mr Trump at Balmoral to minimise the number of protestors.
Mr Salmond claimed the royal estate in rural Aberdeenshire would be the ideal spot for Mr Trump to meet the Queen during his planned state visit as it would be more difficult for crowds to access.
