British Prime Minister David Cameron today termed as “divisive, stupid and wrong” Donald Trump’s infamous call for total shutdown of Muslims entering the US, but rejected a plea to ban the controversial Republican presidential hopeful from entering the UK.
Instead, he said that a visit by him would “unite us all against him”.
“I think his remarks are divisive, stupid and wrong and I think if he came to visit our country, he’d unite us all against him,” Cameron said when asked in the House of Commons whether he supported a petition to ban Trump from entering Britain.
Over 5,60,000 people have signed a petition to ban Trump from entering the UK – where around five per cent of the population is Muslim – following his call for a total shutdown of people from the community entering America, in his most divisive remarks yet drawing widespread condemnation including from party rivals, the White House and leaders abroad.
At his weekly Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), Opposition Labour MP Tulip Siddiq urged Cameron to use anti- extremism legislation to block Trump from entering the UK.
“In our country, we have legislation that stops people entering the country. Does the Prime Ministeragree that the law should be applied equally to everyone, or should we be making exceptions for billionaire politicians?” she asked.
Cameron responded by saying he, too, was “proud of representing a country which I think has some claim to say we are one of the most successful multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-faith countries in the world” but said he disagreed with her over banning Trump.
“I agree with her that it is right that we exclude people when they are going to radicalise or encourage extremism. I happen to disagree with her about Donald Trump,” he said.
Meanwhile, Trump suffered another setback in the UK when his legal challenge to a planned offshore wind farm was rejected by the UK’s Supreme Court.
Developers hope to site 11 turbines off Aberdeen, close to Trump’s golfing development on the Aberdeenshire coast.
The US billionaire businessman was taking on the Scottish government, which approved the plan.
The Trump Organisation said it was an “extremely unfortunate” ruling and it would “continue to fight” the wind farm proposal.