A petition calling for Trump to be banned from visiting the UK has already got over 250,000 signatures
LONDON - An online petition demanding that US President Donald Trump's planned state visit to the UK be cancelled has received over 200,000 signatures, meaning it must be considered for debate by Parliament.
The petition was launched shortly after Trump signed off a contentious executive order that banned people from seven countries with predominantly Muslim populations from entering the USA for at least 90 days.
The move has sparked outrage both in the USA and abroad, with numerous British politicians, including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, to condemn Trump in the strongest terms.
The executive order also extends to people with dual nationalities. This has resulted in British people like Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi and Olympic gold medalist Mo Farrah being banned from entering the USA.
The petition - titled Prevent Donald Trump from making a State Visit to the United Kingdom - had over 240,000 signatures at the time writing and the number of names joining the list continues to rise fast.
A spokesperson for Number 10 said on Sunday that Trump would still be invited to visit the UK later this year as planned. However, Parliament is required by law to at least consider debating a petition that receives 100,000 signatures or more, meaning the government could well be forced to cancel the visit if MPs vote in favour of it.
Labour leader Corbyn told ITV's Robert Peston on Sunday that it would be "totally wrong" for the UK to host Trump while his controversial executive order remains in place.
